Breaking Point
by NotYourHero
Summary: Ever since Midoriya Izuku was accepted into yuuei academy, there was no doubt in his mind that his life would follow the path of heroics. Of course, that was before he was abducted by an infamous underground organization bent on the purpose of training and selling child weapons to villains across Japan.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay so first things first.**

 **This is my first fanfiction and there are likely to be issues and mistakes.**

 **Please tell me if you see anything major so I can fix it!**

 **Now on to the good stuff.**

 **What you are considering reading is an unconventional villain deku fic.**

 **If you don't know what I mean you'll see in later chapters.**

 **If you think this chapter is slow, I urge you to hang in there, because I plan to make this as angsty and exciting as possible.**

 **Thanks so much for your support!**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

-Chapter One-

Ochako Uraraka had been having a perfect day.

Well, perfect at least, by her standards.

It had all begun as an average school day, but soon escalated into a far more exciting event in the beginning of the class's morning routine. Aizawa had explained to the class that students in possession of provisional licenses were to be given a rare opportunity to operate without the constant supervision of a professional hero out in the field for a single day. The class would be divided into groups based on student choice, each heading to a different area to patrol. They were instructed, or course, only to deal with tasks of a nature that students could handle, and in the situation that anything serious or truly threatening occurred they were required to call a superior and run from the site of danger rather than engage any serious villains. Though this sort of exercise would normally be frowned upon by both the school board and local system of law enforcement, both had struck a deal with these conditions under the presumption that the experience would give the students valuable lessons in teamwork and citizen communication. Uraraka knew this was also partially because of the recent all time low in local crime that had been ushered in after the fall of the yakuza. It wasn't exactly revolutionary, but it seemed safe enough as of late to allow students to act more freely.

Izuku and Iida had paired with Uraraka almost automatically due to their friendship, and Todoroki, Uraraka suspected, had joined soon afterwards due to the presence of Izuku. Though Uraraka had expected Bakugou to join up with Mina, Jirou, Kirishima, and Kaminari, he had also surprising followed Todoroki's suit, claiming that he had to "make sure Deku didn't screw things up". Though Uraraka didn't object, she was certainly annoyed at the blond boy's brazen attitude. After all, Izuku was much less likely to ruin social interactions than his fiery counterpart, and he had received his provisional license a full month after Izuku.

Yet even Bakugou's presence wasn't enough to dampen her good mood.

Uraraka was thrilled at the idea of helping others and getting true on the job experience, even if it wasn't of as heroic of a nature as she had originally hoped. So far her group had helped a child locate her lost cat, stopped a small personal fight between two teenagers in front of a convenience store, and helped an old women out of her crashed car. Though none of the incidents had been anything to write home about, or even real hero work, Iida and Izuku had obviously been very proud of the day's accomplishments.

Both boys had had infectious grins on their faces after each task, and of course both of them never failed to charm the people they helped. Their determination and dedication to even insignificant work inspired Uraraka to try her best as well.

Todoroki had taken on a somewhat apathetic attitude through the exercise, but didn't seem to necessarily dislike it. Uraraka had even seen him stifle grins for each of Izuku's bright smiles, and the brunette was beginning to believe that Todoroki found the mood just as contagious as she did. Bakugou, however...

Every time the group took on a task, Bakugou would immediately rush to the forefront, placing himself as the leader of the group. Then, despite his initial readiness to deal with problems, he would act exasperated when he realized the smallness of their scope. Though his assertion was subtle, it was grating after a while, and though Izuku took it silently, Todoroki had glared at Bakugou on multiple occasions. If looks could kill Todoroki would've already committed first degree murder.

But of course even that was endurable with Iida present to play the role of moderator. Whenever things seemed to get out of hand he would calm the others down with a dramatic speech, and tensions would die down quickly either from Bakugou's evident boredom or Izuku's endorsement of his classmate's messages.

Currently the five were simply walking down the sidewalk, having not seen a disturbance in some time, though Todoroki seemed oddly on edge.

Looking around, Uraraka realized that none of her peers had noticed the silent boy's obvious discomfort, as Bakugou was currently trying to pick a fight with a less than willing Izuku.

"Stop smiling like that dubass!" The blonde blurted, arms crossed over his chest. "You don't have a single thing to be proud of! Even as a team we only managed to complete some worthless busywork."

Izuku merely nodded in response, a wide grin still plastered across his face. "I know. But it still feels good to contribute doesn't it? You saw how grateful that girl was when we returned her cat. This kind of work is exactly what it means to be a hero. Helping others even when it isn't public or flashy."

Bakugou frowned begrudgingly. "True, but that doesn't mean it wasn't worthless. After all, that kid would've found the cat on her own anyways, it was literally only a few feet away. This isn't the kind of thing I need to be devoting my time to when I could be doing real training, this could hardly be considered a challenge at all!"

 _There he goes again._ Uraraka mused inwardly, rolling her eyes. _Too stubborn to admit that Izukus right._

At this point Uraraka could already determine the trajectory of the conversation, and began to naturally tune the two boys out, instead heading over to question the still shaken looking Todoroki.

She sidled up to the boy slowly, afraid he wouldn't want to talk to her. After all, the two hardly interacted in class, and the only thing really holding them together was their mutual respect of Izuku. Luckily for the pink clad girl, however, Todoroki made the first move.

"Uraraka, have you noticed what part of town we're in?" He asked, a sharp edge creeping into his voice.

Now that he mentioned it, Uraraka hadn't exactly been paying attention to the group's location. Similarly to the others, she had been much more focused on the small squabbles and constant conversation rather than the writing on street signs. However now that she thought about it, the streets had been desolate for quite some ways, and most shops in the area were boarded up or otherwise vacant.

"No, but... You've got a point. This is very unsettling."

The young girl shuddered as she surveyed the scene before her. It suddenly felt as though eyes were boring into the back of head, and she wanted nothing more than to be back on the main streets of the usually bustling area.

Todoroki shook his head, his eyes darting around as if to search for hidden threats. "It's not just the general lack of people that's disturbing. This area has been mentioned multiple times in the news lately, and I'm sure you can imagine that it's for a good reason."

Thinking back, something from the recent headlines had caught her eye... Looking at her general surroundings she tried to remember the details. _Something about kidnappings... Untraceable, quick, and mostly focused on children, especially those with strong or unique quirks, mostly battle suited ones... And they were all committed in one small region!_

The realization snapped Uraraka back tor reality. "If you're implying what I think you are, then we need to leave. Fast."

Todoroki shook his head once more. "That may not be an option. I suspected that we were being followed back in a more populated area and tried to lead the group away without alerting the others. I knew that if Bakugou was aware he'd insist on confrontation, and if Izuku or Iida realized, they wouldn't be able to keep quiet. What I didn't stop to think was that at every turn that led to a more populated area, there was another person posted to deter me. We're being corralled, and we've walked right into it."

Uraraka felt her heart racing, adrenaline spiking. _No!_ Her thoughts rebelled. _I'm not a coward! I'm a hero, and if worst comes to worst I'll fight. It's pretty much my job after all!_

Still she felt her knees knocking together. The kidnappers that she had read about in the papers were highly specialized. They had only been spotted once during the job by the acclaimed pro hero, best jeanist, and had still escaped with their hostage. The child, a middle schooler aspiring to be a hero, had never been seen again by his parents or otherwise. Apparently he had had a very strong quirk as well, something that stopped time in a bubble around him, yet according to the single witness he hadn't had a chance of escape against his captors.

She was beginning to think that this entire exercise had been a big mistake on the part of the pros, but at the same time she knew the kidnappers had supposedly been inactive since their encounter with best Jeanist, which was a month ago. There really shouldn't have been a problem, but then again here they were.

In a daze, Uraraka watched Todoroki walk over to speak calmly to the others. The reactions on their faces said enough.

"Well why the hell didn't you tell us sooner?!" Bakugou roared, advancing on Todoroki with one fist ready.

"Stop it!" Iida interjected, stepping between the angry bakugou and slightly peeved looking Todoroki. "This obviously isn't the time to fight! It doesn't matter why he didn't tell us as long as we know now! We need to act as a group to remove the threat!"

Both parties begrudgingly muttered their agreement, though ice could be seen forming on Todoroki's right hand. Just as Bakugo began to advance once more, the sound of loud clicking could be heard from the direction of Izuku. He blushed as all faces present focused on him.

"I'm going to call Aizawa and tell him our location. It's the best course of action right now." He explained, somewhat confidently, just finishing typing the number. Iida barely had time to voice his consent of the action before the phone was sent flying with a loud thwack, hitting a brick wall a few feet away from Izuku's still open hand.

"Sorry kid, but I can't exactly have you callin for help now can I?" A voiced hissed from the shelter of a nearby alleyway. A few seconds later scratching could be heard from almost every direction around the group, and they were forced to take an outward facing defensive stance.

"Come out and fight me you cowards! Unless you think you can't take me!" Bakugou yelled out, swiveling his head to face the walls around him as he spoke. Not soon after more scuffling could be heard unseen.

"Oh trust me, I'm sure we can, and will, take you. But first, I'd like to see if you're worth it."

Another projectile came rocketing out of the darkness, almost too fast for Uraraka's eyes to catch. Just before the object could lodge itself into Backugou's exposed throat, it hit a wall of ice.

"Thanks Icy Hot." Bakugou hissed, kneeling into a battle stance. "I hope there's plenty more where that came from."

Uraraka's wide eyes were still fixated on the rouge projectile, which now appeared to be some sort of quill resembling a porcupine's. The only difference was that this quill was about a foot long, and coated with some sort of unidentifiable liquid that seemed suspiciously like poison.

"Nice reflexes!" The unknown voice cheered. "Just like on television! We've had our eyes on you for a while, but it's still nice to see your quirk in person."

Uraraka realized with a start that the kidnappers had likely viewed the UA tournament. They knew all their strengths, weaknesses, and quirks, which meant that this attack was certainly premeditated. Their chances of escape were looking increasingly slim.

"Of course, we do have a client who has an eye on broccoli boy specifically, so you're actually only second priority. Sorry, not sorry." The voice's owner slowly began to slink out of it's hiding place along with two previously unheard figures.

The speaker was a tall, slim, man who looked to be about in his mid twenties. Though his entire appearance absolutely screamed sordid Uraraka guessed that his quirk was made up of the long, deadly sharp spines on his back and tail, which looked exactly like those which had previously rocketed towards Bakugou. Each was dripping with the same liquid as well.

The man's two companions were much more mysterious however, as neither had obvious quirks. Each member's face was covered by an ornate black masquerade reminiscent mask. Other forms also appeared in the alleys around them, though they were blurry in the corners of Uraraka's vision.

"In fact, if our little green friend comes quietly we won't even have to lay a hand on the pretty lady or beautiful blonde." The figure added with a visible smirk.

Bakugou, however, was not quite so amused.

"Come over here and I'll show you something beautiful! The bright scarlet of your bloodied face!" He screeched, a look of pure race contorting his features.

The lead figure released a high pitched snicker. "Oh I like you! You're fun! It's really too bad that you're such a possible threat!" He flicked his wrist, and Todoroki reacted to the signal a bit too late. Expecting a frontal attack, he shielded the wrong side of bakugou, and the shocked and enraged teen was hit by a circular device from behind. Obviously miffed beyond reason, Bakugou turned to remove the disk, but not before it emitted a sharp shock which sent him twitching to the ground. After a few minutes the boy failed to stir, and Uraraka realized with a twinge of fear that he had lost consciousness.

"See kiddos? Be quiet and meek and we've got no issues. I promise if you all agree to just walk over to my friend here we'll escort you to your destination without any unnecessary pain." The man gestured to the girl beside him, who smiled threateningly.

"No! We refuse to barter with lowlife criminals such as yourselves! Back down or you'll be swiftly put out of commission!" Iida promised, preparing to charge.

"Ugh no. Kids like you are such a bore. Quit the justice crap and get mad like Blondie over there. It's much more interesting."

Without another word, Iida charged. Though it seemed like he was going to hit the man head on, there was swift movement at the last second. In a blur the man stabbed Iida with a needle, and he fell to the ground almost instantly.

Izuku made a face as though he had been the one injured, and looked about ready to charge himself.

"Don't worry broccoli. You're friend isn't dead, just tranquilized. Or at least he should be. It's tough to always get the proper dosage. There are so many different sizes of targets after all."

The formerly quiet accomplice to the left of the outspoken one suddenly stepped forward. "Stop tormenting them Quill. This is unnecessary and cruel." He commanded, and surprisingly the other man backed off. "Fine," He growled. "But if they don't comply we don't have any other choice."

To Uraraka's shock Izuku suddenly forced his way forward. "Hey, if what I heard was right you're mostly after me!" He began, grabbing the attention of the two men. "I'll come along quietly if you leave my friends alone."

The quieter man nodded, and to Todoroki and Uraraka's dismay, Izuku rand over to stand beside the women as ordered. She immediately extended a finger towards him, touching his forehead. Immediately afterwards he disappeared without a trace.

Uraraka didn't know what to do. It was likely that Izuku had done the right thing... After all there seemed to be no visible way to win and it was a hero's job to save as many people as possible yet... How had to operation gone so wrong so quickly?

Unfortunately there wasn't much time to mull this question over, as Quill was beginning to advance. "Yeah okay, I know we promised that we'd leave now, but you guys just seem too good to give up. Sorry, not sorry."

Uraraka prayed for an interjection from the other man, but none seemed to come. Fortunately something else did.

Quill swung out his tail to send out more tranq projectiles, but none responded.

"Hey, what the hell?" He grunted, right as a thick mist began to fill the alleyway. Some of those gathered began to stumble, and Uraraka felt her eyelids droop unmistakably.

She heard a call of "Scatter it's the pros!" Before seeing a chorus of figures flee to the area behind her. She caught sight of two figures running towards her as she finally dropped into the oblivion of sleep.

* * *

 **Thanks for hanging in this long, I know I'm not the best at writing.**

 **If you're tired of seeing Uraraka's thoughts, don't worry because I hope to shift between character perspectives when relevant.**

 **If you have suggestions, requests, comments, or concerns, I'd be honored to read them in the form of reviews!**

 **Once again thanks, and check for (hopefully) weekly updates!**


	2. Chapter 2

-Chapter Two-

It had all happened so suddenly. One moment Izuku had been standing in the alleyway, and the next he was sprawled across a cold, compact floor. Though he had been ready to be detained in some manner, he felt truly surprised by the current turn of events. The women's quirk was very specialized, but obviously effective for her chosen career. Despite the circumstances, Izuku found himself wondering if all the events had involved the women's quirk. It was really a shame she chose to use it for the purpose she did, after all it had great potential as a disaster rescue quirk... Izuku could feel his mind drifting to the topic of quirk analysis, a habit he had gained as a child to cope with stressful situations, and began to shake himself from thoughts. While the tendency to consider an enemies abilities could come in handy in the right situation, Izuku recognized the current need to place his focus elsewhere, and decided to make escape his top priority. Though he could tell the ground below him was composed of concrete, he couldn't gather the nature of his surroundings due to the room's lack of lighting.

He tried to stand to gauge the amount of free space in the room, but felt an overwhelming wave of vertigo almost immediately. The feeling was enough to make him drop back to the ground on his knees, where he stayed for a few minutes to regain his composure. Hoping the effect was temporary, Izuku rose again only to be met with the same pungent nausea and dizziness.

 _Am I feeling this way because of shock, an outside force, or as an aftereffect of the transportation quirk? Well either way I guess I'll just have to resort to crawling._

He felt his way across the floor, and after a few seconds felt his hand collide with a wall. After reeling back a bit in pain, he began to follow the structure around till he reached a corner. Eventually he discovered that the room was exceedingly small in the shape of a square which extended only about five feet on all sides. There was a door but it seemed metallic and hardly immobile, and Izuku believed that his earlier loss of equilibrium would stop him from using his quirk to bash it down. Of course at this point, he was willing to try anything.

He decided on trying an old trick, storing up a bit of power around his finger and releasing it on the door. Almost as soon as he activated one for all, however, he was hit with an even stronger force of wooziness, leaving him reeling on the ground, though this time his recovery took much longer.

 _So, no means of escape, huh?_ He thought, rubbing his temples in an attempt to decrease his escalating headache. _Then I'll just have to ambush whoever comes through the door then._

He tried not to think of how difficult to be to ambush someone in pitch darkness. Or how someone with a strong and utterly disabling quirk was likely ready to incapacitate him if he showed any signs of rebellion. Or how no one had ever escaped... wherever he was before. He was failing of course, but he was still trying to credit.

He couldn't help but wonder if the room had any vents or cameras installed. Of course there was nothing he could do, even in the case that there was a vent large enough for a teenager to fit in, but his suspicions about the cameras were seeming much more valid. Whoever had the quirk that kept affecting him was obviously not located in the room along with him, and the quirk only activated when he showed signs of resistance. The offender shouldn't be able to tell what he was doing without some sort of visual aid, and the fact that they only tried to affect him when necessary instead of constantly meant that there was likely a limit to how long they could use their ability.

Testing his theory, Izuku stood in the cell, and just as expected he felt the same tension as before. The only difference was that this time, he planned to stay standing.

It was by no means easy, and by what he thought was the fifteen second mark his head felt about ready to rupture. It took everything he had not to regurgitate his lunch into the cramped space around him, but luckily he was able to keep his composure. Then, right as he thought he would drop, the pressure in his temple stopped, and he was able to clumsily rush to the door.

He kicked the metal from it's hinges using his quirk, and dashed out into the adjacent hall. He was blinded by the light of the corridor, however, and wasn't alerted in the slightest before a steady force crashed into his right side, knocking him against what he assumed was a wall. Before he could retaliate, he felt the vertigo assault him once more, and collapsed.

"What the hell?" He heard a voice mutter above him, though it faded in and out in accordance with the pain in Izuku's head. "Yo Watanabe! What gives?"

The second cry was much louder than the last, and despite the crippling pain Izuku forced his hands to cover his ears. Though his eyesight was returning, it was slow, and he was still unable to pick up on much around him. Besides the unrelenting vertigo as well as the feeling of a foot on his shoulder kept him pinned to the ground anyways.

"Don't use my real name around prisoners!" A static clouded voice reprimanded loudly, somehow managing to sound concerned and exasperated at once. Based on the situation Izuku guessed that it was whoever was using their quirk on him speaking over an intercom system. "This is the new one Quill, Copy, and Shade were sent to catch. He got here a few minutes ago and has been insufferable ever since. That door is coming out of your paycheck by the way, not mine."

After this statement Izuku was once again forced to cover his ears in shock as gruff laughter echoed above him. "Sure no problem Watanabe, but for the record it's your fault he got loose. I was just standing outside minding my own business."

A loud sigh carried across the intercom, and Izuku could practically see the accompanying eye roll. "Well if it's 'no problem' then I'd like it if you could find a new place to keep the kid til his doctor's visit. I can't hold him down much longer and he certainly doesn't fancy sitting still."

Despite his persisting malady, Izuku found himself being lifted up by the collar. Since his eyesight had returned at this point, he was finally able to see his attacker. The man before him was extremely tough looking, and stood at about 198 cm. It was easy to guess that his quirk likely matched his outward appearance, especially since he was put on guard duty. A mask obscured the man's face which matched those worn by the thugs who had attacked Izuku in the alleyway.

As Izuku was dragged through the hall, he could see a large number of cells that matched the one he had been placed in. Based on documents posted on each door, Izuku could tell that many were occupied or at least had been recently. Each possessed information including a name, gender, age, and detailed quirk description, though it was difficult to focus on details. Based on the quality and quantity of the area it was evident that the group, whoever they were, did very well for themselves.

Eventually the man stopped in front of an empty room, opened the door, and tossed Izuku inside as if he were a pillow. His landing was not without a myriad of scrapes, and he began to wince again as the offender spoke.

"Stay put this time kid. You'll have to visit the psychologist soon and I don't wanna be the one to explain your absence to her."

Izuku wanted to send back some sort of retort, but the aforementioned Wanatabe had been sending small, consistent shocks to his head over the course of the journey. The door shut with a loud clang, and Izuku was once again alone.

Though he heard sets of footsteps pass by his room often, he waited hours without a visit. Time seemed to crawl by, and it was mostly due to boredom that Izuku eventually found the ground comfortable enough for sleep.

* * *

Though Ennui went through tens of appointments a week, she never failed to be enthralled by the behavior of each of her subjects. Every individual human being had a myriad of reactions at their fingertips for any given situation, and which they chose to use told volumes about their characters, especially in stressful situations. It was an immensely entertaining practice, and one that couldn't be more rewarding as a career in Ennui's opinion. To her, nothing was more entertaining than sizing someone up and seeing how they broke down, and if it had to be done under such sordid circumstances then so be it. After all there was no place the women could legally use a quirk such as hers in today's society without causing outrage from one party or another.

Today was an especially exciting day though, as Ennui was finally going to have the opportunity to operate on a true hero in training.

Despite the Masquerade's infamy as a criminal organization among the bottom feeders of Japan, they had never really committed a kidnapping so bold as that which they had just undertook. In fact the company had been conceptualized with the idea in mind that it would only capture children of little background so not to draw unwanted attention, and it was to do so over the course of months instead of days. The group's initial success, however, had inclined them to act to the contrary, and now they not only practiced their craft in a brighter light but also far more frequently.

Having been a founding member, Ennui herself had initially been opposed to the idea of a more public approach, but usually couldn't argue with the results. Clients were much more apt to dispense their cash on pre-advertised weapons such as UA students than diamond-in-the-rough slum brats, and it was far more pleasant for the women when she had a varied cast of people to study. Even following the bidding processes Ennui kept a detailed description of their quirks and mental state, both before and after her tampering had taken effect. Quill often insulted her for it, calling the practice morbid and her interest obsessive, though she didn't feel he had the right to talk when he was the one assigned to capture duty.

Especially after the incident that occurred during the last abduction.

It seemed that the masquerade's more open actions recently had finally blown up in their faces. Despite the group's meticulous planning to the opposite effect, they had somehow managed to attract the attention of professional heroes whilst leaving four witnesses alive in their wake. And it wasn't even as if the school tried to cover it up either despite the immediate ill effects on their public representation. And of course some senseless higher up had decided to make the organization thematic enough to recognize on sight. Ennui had never even worn one of the idiotic masks herself, but of course they happened to be uniform.

It didn't make it any less painful that she had had such a heavy hand in planning the abduction either. It had seemed so simple on paper, pretty much the same concept as exterminating a pest. Stay quiet for awhile to draw them out and lure them into a false sense of security, corner them while they were out of their hiding place, strike, then gather a windfall of yen and research to boot. Not to mention that the school had given them all the information they needed through televised events. The analysis team hadn't even be required for pre-planning. Of course Quill, Copy, and Shade didn't seem to have benefited. This was only made worse by the fact that the group composed the Masquerade's most infamously discreet capture squad. If her job was compromised, she really had no clue what she'd be forced to do. Despite masquerade's recent fame, the group was hardly invincible.

The only thing Ennui thought could calm her nerves at this point was a good distraction, and luckily she had an especially interesting one waiting for her cue. The thought of the appointment had been all that brought her to work that morning, but still hadn't been enough to pull her out of her mood, which was really too bad considering how volatile it made her actions towards others. Well it certainly wouldn't stop her from clicking the intercom to call in her guest.

"Vex, please send in Ranger and Brute with the next subject." She articulated coldly, flipping through her clipboard in the meantime.

"I'm sending him over." There was a short pause before the next bit of dialogue. "Thank you for using my professional name by the way."

Ennui almost had to stifle a laugh at that. Vex was their newest recruit and one of three rotating watch dogs. She suspected that he had been painfully aware of this recently despite his impressive captive repression skills. It was certainly impressive that the student had escaped under his watch regardless of his level of experience.

There were multiple points of interest that Ennui noted on her clipboard as the subject was lead in, the main one being his posture. It practically screamed defiance, which spoke volumes about the difficulty level of the job. He wasn't openly frightened in the least unlike what she estimated was at least eighty percent of her usual demographic, but rather seemed entirely devoid of the emotion.

That was not to say that he didn't look shaken though. His hair, which according to pictures was usually rather unruly, looked especially disheveled from his sleeping arrangements, his wrists and ankles were bound and almost raw from contact with their metal constraints, and bruises stood out on his left side. Ennui thought it was likely that they were badges of his earlier altercation with Ranger, who looked as intimidating and uncomfortable as normal.

Ennui quickly waved the two out after the subject was seated, though she was careful to ensure that Vex's attention was focused on her office before relaxing. She hoped she wasn't yet quite inconsiderate enough to leave herself undefended against such a capable opponent, be he a child or not. She spared one last careless glance at her briefing before looking back up to address the boy.

"So, you're Izuku Midoriya." Ennui spoke in a factual manner instead of a quizzical one, creating her first opportunity to view the child's reactions and hopefully get a clear reading. "Welcome to my office."

Not much of a reaction from that. Just more silent defiance. Oh well, that told just as much about him as any words would.

"I'm not exactly sure that you've been informed of your purpose here, but I intend to make it as clear as possible for you."

There. Finally some sort of entropy. The boy's eyes had flicked towards her expectantly, ready to take in information.

"Before I go around telling you anything though, I'd love to listen to any questions you have on the subject and respond as best as I can."

Once again she laced her words in a commanding tone rather than a friendly one.

While the boy's response was delayed, it was still present. His slightly hopeful expression was a precursor.

"Fine. But how do I know you'll answer my questions honestly?"

Ennui shook her head. "You don't. But wouldn't you rather have some sort of idea of your circumstances than none at all? After all even if I do nothing but lie to you at least you'll have something to do for a few minutes assuming we plan to just send you back to your cell afterwards."

The subject seemed to consider this for a second before formulating a response, his expression calculating.

"Okay then. Where are we?"

A very simple question to begin with, but Ennui was positive she could lead the conversation in a more interesting direction given time.

"I can't tell you much other than that it's an unnamed facility in Japan which really isn't anything at all. Why do you ask? Are you hoping for some sort of rescue?"

The look on the boy's face confirmed her suspensions. A small spot of anxiety in his otherwise calm facade. Just as she had expected he was much more afraid than he was letting on. The look did disappear as soon as it had come however, and his expression was once again nonchalant and uncaring.

"Why wouldn't I be? I was just abducted."

Ennui smiled. That was a good answer. Better than she'd expected. Nothing was used to hide fear more than insults.

"Fair point. But I must warn you rescue really isn't an option. We captured your friends not soon after you departed, so no one who isn't in your situation is even aware you've been taken. I'm sure they could guess of course, but how long until they took action? Days? Weeks? Even hours could seal your fate. But of course you don't really know much about that yet."

The women's bluff worked. Fear enveloped Midoriya's face, and this time it didn't leave. Now she was tasked with finding out whether it stemmed from the thought of danger to himself or others.

"Your accomplices promised you'd leave the others alone if I played along. I guess I probably shouldn't have even considered the possibility of honesty there in retrospect."

He came along because of threats to others? This was just what she needed. Ennui was starting to believe she should hold longer discussions with the capture squad.

"Certainly not. But I must admit it was very heroic of you, choosing to protect your friends with even such a slim chance of escape hanging in the balance. A shame that all that gallantry is going to go to waste." Ennui leaned back in her chair leisurely. At this point in the game it was essential to stay confident if she wished to keep her subject in a position of powerless curiosity.

"What do you plan on doing to us?" Midoriya's voice was a bit shaky now, a very good sign. "Obviously it has something to do with combat ability based on your prior targets, but..." His voice cracked to punctuate the sentence.

"How would we make soldiers out of them? That's what you're thinking, correct? I'm glad you asked, because you're about to find out the answer one way or another."

Ennui flipped through the pages tethered to her clipboard until she came across the document she was searching for, halting the progress with a fingertip. Her eyes slowly scanned the paper as she began to read aloud.

"Command. A simple quirk to match a simple name, though it's effects would be difficult to consider banal. The holder of this ability is able to utter a single sentence to their chosen target upon first physical contact, if this sentence happens to be an order then the victim will be irrevocably compelled to follow it. This command will be permanent in the psyche of the victim, taking root and demanding to be acted upon as would an innate animal instinct. If the command is ignored then the aggressor will experience the same kind of deterioration and pain as if they were refusing to eat or sleep. Committing the action, however, will satisfy the physical demand for the action as well as the mental, releasing dopamine into the brain as it does so. Over time and with experience, the feeling will become more difficult to ignore in most cases, eventually leading to dependence."

Done with the text, Ennui lowered the clipboard, looking up at the subject. At this point there was no hiding the panic on his face, a point which Ennui took especial pride in. Perhaps her quirk wasn't flashy, but it never failed to allow her control over others, both in a direct and indirect sense. Though the reactions she received were well worth the effort, the early telling of such information could lead to understandable complications as well.

Right now, for instance. Izuku Midoriya had attempted to stand but immediately thereafter been constrained by Vex's quirk. It was times like these that Ennui appreciated his quirk's wide field of area.

It only took a few moments for Ennui to think up what command she wanted to use. An order which would break the target down mentally while also keeping in line with the client's ideals in a weapon. And a single word no less. Ennui even had an idea of how the subject's training would proceed thereafter, so there really wasn't any need for hesitation.

As Ennui reached out her hand toward Izuku's, he began to flinch away, obviously still capable of movement. Ignoring the resistance, she lightly grazed his knuckles with her pointer finger, speaking a sole word.

 _"_ _Kill."_

Though Ennui's quirk always left her drained, it was nothing compared to it's effect on it's target. Ennui slouched back against her desk, but she saw Izuku stop moving altogether a few feet away. Collecting herself enough to regain her breath, she then rose up off the ground to call Ranger and Brute to lead the subject to his new cell. Though the whole exchange had been a bit tedious, it hadn't been boring either. Besides, the remainder of the subject's preparation would take planning, and the thought of a job well done was reward enough for now.

Hopefully the clients in question were willing to wait long enough. They hadn't exactly seemed like the patient type.

* * *

 **Thank you all so much for reading, and once again I apologize for my poor writing skills.**

 **Now that the concept of the fics been revealed, I want to state that though I know it's unconventional and fairly edgy, it's a concept I've never seen done before so I hope someone likes it.**

 **I'm sorry for all the OC's that have made cameos but they're pretty much all plot necessary. Still if you've got issues with them tell me. I promise the Villain Alliance will make an entrance soon.**

 **Whether you enjoyed reading this or not I'd love to receive feedback as always, especially if you have genuine constructive criticism or compliments for me.**

 **Thank you to everyone who's followed or commented so far, I hope you continue to stick around.**

 **See you next week.**


	3. Chapter 3

-Chapter Three-

Bakugou was pissed.

And not just your run of the mill oh-no-Bakugous-at-it-again type of pissed either. A better word for it would probably be furious.

Though it had only been one day since the solo mission, the entire event was still cycling through his head on repeat. Well, the parts he was awake for were at least, though he was painfully aware of what had transpired even then.

According to Icy Hot and Gravity girl, he had not only lost to a group of good for nothing c-list villains, relied on others to save his sorry ass, and failed to outlast even four eyes, but he had also somehow managed to lose Deku to kidnappers in the process. As if things couldn't get any worse.

Bakugou was informed that the whole class had been shocked when they were told, but he had been too busy recovering in the infirmary to be there for it. By the time he got back to the dorms later that night, the common rooms had been desolate. The entire thing felt like some sort of weird dream that he could wake up from at any moment, but unfortunately that hadn't been the case.

When Bakugou had awoke that morning, it was due to the crowds of reporters gathered just outside the school's walls. UA hadn't done much in the way of damage control it seemed.

No one was too surprised to find out that classes had been canceled for the day, especially considering the sheer amount of concerned parents, friends, and press who were constantly showering the students of class 1-A in phone calls and text messages. Bakugou could only imagine how Inko Midoriya must be feeling.

He kept trying to tell himself that it wasn't his fault. Izuku had been stupid enough to go along with the villains, so he obviously deserved the blame. Not to mention that he hadn't escaped yet to come and fix the fucking depressing mood everyone seemed to want to drown in. But even then...

The whole reason Bakugou had gone along was to watch after the dumbass nerd, and if this could be considered a fulfillment of that promise then the entire world had gone to shit.

Bakugou had spent most of the morning training in the field behind the school, sure that it would come in handy soon. Plans were being made to track down the group behind the kidnappings, but without any leads besides the masks the members wore it was taking awhile. Still, Bakugou wanted to be ready when it was time to confront them. He was going to get revenge for being humiliated, and then those freaks would be sorry.

Bakugou was so immersed in his practice that he hardly noticed when someone came out to join him on the field. What finally got his attention was the loud, echoing crash of something incredibly heavy plummeting to the pavement almost directly behind him.

Pivoting into a defensive stance, he turned to come face to face with a large slab of concrete. After searching for the origin of the projectile for a few seconds, the blond was shocked to see that a panting, but fuming Uraraka was the source. As soon as the two's eyes met the girls gaze flashed to the ground, almost guiltily, before settling on another target.

Bakugou watched in stunned silence for a bit as the brunette managed to set a whole group of slabs afloat and send them crashing down close by. He wanted to be angry that he was being made to share training space with the girl, but was too impressed by her drive to show annoyance. Most of his other classmates had decided to spend the day off with those close to them, or simply locked themselves away to be immersed in hobbies. Bakugou had believed he was the only one stubborn enough to put effort into anything today, but evidently he was wrong.

"Look, I know you were here first but I'm not leaving! I have as much right to be here as you!"

The words came as another surprise to Bakugou, tearing him out of his thoughts and back into the real world. With a shock of defensiveness Bakugou realized that he had been staring at the girl across the field for a long time, far too long to be considered friendly coming from him. Instead of apologizing though, he decided to take an approach which was more his style.

He approached the spot where Uraraka stood, swagger and confidence evident in the way he walked. "Oi bubblegum bitch, if you think you have as much right to this field as me then you'd better fight me for it!"

While Bakugou knew that the response lacked tact, and could possibly even get him a rock to the face, he was too enamored with the idea of practical training to back down against the girl's challenge. Besides, he had a reputation to uphold, even after such an unexpectedly tragic event.

"Well if that's how it has to be then I'm willing to fight for it!" Uraraka belted, rage shooting across her usually amicable face. Her body took up the stance of a boxer before a punch, and she had already begun to focus on the possible projectiles around her. "But only if we do it right here, right now!"

Bakugou loosed an anticipant grin. Though this was the last behavior he had expected coming from his cheerful peer, he could hardly say he was upset. If he had to guess he thought her newfound courage originated from her failure to perform out in the city same as his, though her's likely had a lot more to do with Izuku's abduction. Either way this was bound to be interesting.

"That's what I was fucking planning on!" Bakugou agreed, backing away and falling into his own starting position. "Let's go easy on the rules. We're allowed to fight till one of us either forfeits or collapses, no holds barred."

The girl opposite of him simply nodded in response, her messy chocolate hair framing a determined face and fists reared up at her sides.

With nothing left to say, Bakugou simply charged, explosions blaring from either palm. Tough Uraraka looked a bit taken aback, she slid nimbly out of the way, sending a shower of grit and dirt into Backugou's eyes. Taking no time to squint, the boy pivoted and attempted to throw a punch at the sound of shoes on gravel a bit away from his position.

Vision slightly clouded, Bakugou barely managed to react to his adversary's counter. By fainting out of the way of the punch, Uraraka had managed to get a grip on Bakugou's upper arm, and was attempting to use his lack of balance to send him spiraling to the ground. The much stronger hero easily pushed him elbow down to collide with the brunette's stomach, and though winded she was able to roll away and rise back up behind him, sending a firm kick to his back.

Even in the heat of battle, Bakugou couldn't help but be pleasantly amazed by Uraraka's newfound combat skills. He had never really viewed her as much of a fair threat in the past, mostly due to her lack of melee skills, but she was holding her own fairly well. Bakugou almost felt bad that he was going to defeat her. Almost.

Tough the kick had sent him off balance once more, he recovered much faster than from the punch. He turned to use a sweeping kick on Uraraka, but was surprised to see that she wasn't present. He then looked up just in time to see that a couple of rocks had drifted above his unprotected head. He tried to jump away as quickly as possible, eyes scanning the field for his opponent until- there she was. Standing a yard or so away right next to a generous supply of gravity-powered ammo. And she had the nerve to smirk.

Unable to dodge fast enough, one of the falling pieces of granite hit Bakugou's leg just above the ankle. Grunting in a bit in pain, the boy scanned the air above him for more projectiles. Uraraka seemed to be setting them afloat at different intervals across the field, leaving them ready for release if Bakugou approached. In the time it took to see this, she had even managed to make the number of projectiles grow, and it didn't seem as though she was stopping.

Unfortunately Bakugou would need to get over to the girl somehow since his attacks relied almost entirely on close combat, but at the same time it would be tough to make it over without landing himself a rock to the skull. He did a quick once over of his surroundings and noticed began to notice something regarding the airborne rocks. Each was suspended at a different height due to the rate at which the girl sent them into orbit, and a few were clustered especially low near a tree at his end of the field. It was risky, but if he was quick enough he was sure he could make it work.

Dashing towards the tree, he used a few low lying branches to make his way up to a desired height. Once he was satisfied with his running start, Bakugou launched himself off onto one of the rocks. From there, he jumped across the craggy stones towards his target at an alarming pace. Though the unanchored disks hardly made for smooth sailing, momentum and speed were enough to carry him as long as he didn't slow. Uraraka, obviously unprepared for the assault, looked rather anxiously around before slamming her fingertips together.

Gravity sent Bakugou tumbling to the dirt floor, though he made the landing less harsh by ducking into a roll as he made contact. Though Uraraka had done well in stopping Bakugou's approach, she was unable to drop some rocks without sending all the others down as well, and was now painfully defenseless.

Using an explosion, Bakugou rocketed out of his position, crash-tackling Uraraka to the ground.

As he heard the grunt of pain below him, Bakugou knew it was time to stop. He stood, panting, before boldly crossing his arms over his chest.

"There. Now you know better than to fucking fight me. The fields mi-" "Fuck off." Bakugou halted mid sentence, unsure of what he had just heard. Though Uraraka's head was facing the dirt, he could've sworn that had been the girl's voice.

"What the hell did you just say to me?" He grunted, glaring at the brunette's figure.

"You heard me." The girl nearly growled as she rose to her feet, back still turned. "I told you to FUCK OFF!"

On the last two words, Uraraka turned to face Bakugou, tears streaming down her face.

Now THIS was something Bakugou hadn't been prepared for. He had never seen the girl as emotional as she was right now, and though she had agreed to the fight he couldn't help but think it was his fault. Had he misread the situation?

"Look Bubblegum bitch, I was just givin' you what you asked for! You SAID you wanted to fight me so don't go gettin' pissed!" Bakugou was admittedly a bit confused by the behavior, and wanted an explanation if not an outright out to the conversation. He certainly was not good with this kind of thing.

"Ugh, you just can't read a situation to save your life can you?!" The girl snarled back, wiping a dirt coated arm across her damp face. "Even after all this practice, I still can't hold my own against you, so how am I going to manage to save Izuku?"

So that was it. She WAS out here for the same reasons as he was. The feeling of assurance must've shown on his face, because Uraraka scoffed disgustedly not soon after the thought.

"I know you wouldn't understand. You tried your best to save him. But me... I couldn't even move as he walked right into danger! How terrible of a hero am I? go ahead and tell me, I deserve it! I'm a coward and a weakling just like you thought!"

Unsure of how to respond, Bakugou shook his head, mulling over which words to use.

"The girl I just fought... She wasn't fucking weak. Sure you need to improve, but you held your own for much longer than I expected. And no coward would ever have the courage to fight me in the first place." He declared. He had no urge to spare the girl's feelings, but he was simply being honest. Maybe a bit brutally honest, but still.

"That was a pretty pathetic attempt to cheer me up, but coming from you it sounds surprisingly genuine." She replied, a small grin forming on the edges of her lips. "Besides, just imagine. THE Bakugou Katsuki acting nice. I'll have to tell the whole class!"

"DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE!" Bakugou roared, but when he looked back to Uraraka the girl was rolling with fits of laughter. "Wha- HEY STOP IT! IT'S NOT FUCKING FUNNY!"

"Sorry, sorry!" The girl apologized between breathless giggles. "It's just your reaction was so on point!" Slowly, the laughter died down, and Uraraka got back on her feet, dusting off her uniform. Bakugou could feel the mood once again growing somber.

"I'm sorry for breaking down like that in front of you. I know we'll save Izuku but... I just felt so incapable when I was the only one who stood and did nothing as he was carted off... I came out here to train, but when I saw you, I thought that if I won against you it would prove that I could've. Maybe it would've just made me feel more guilty, but I can't stand being idle when I know he's out there somewhere, probably suffering..."

Uraraka trailed off, a gloomy look on her face before snapping back to her senses and grimacing at Bakugou.

"Wait, why am I even telling this to you?"

She looked down and shook her head as if to ward away the stupidity of the action, hair wisps flying around her face.

For some reason Bakugou felt the need to amend the situation somehow. It was the weirdest feeling, but he almost... empathized with Uraraka. And though he never would've wanted to be pitied in this state, he thought a bit of reassurance couldn't hurt.

"No, normally I'd be flipping my shit at this but I kind of get where you're coming from." Bakugou reluctantly agreed, focusing on a random point in the distance as he spoke. "That shitty nerd may be a nuisance, but I sure as hell don't want him gone. He's good for a fight if nothing else. Besides, I certainly should've done more. I lost to a gang of nobodies, and because of all this fucking publicity the whole country knows it."

Apparently when Aizawa had gotten Izuku's call, he had been surveying a part of the city nearby in order to be close in case of emergency. Though it had cut off almost immediately, he had assumed the worst based on a snippet of frantic dialogue that had come across the receiver before hanging up. Sending for backup to help with the situation had been both a good, and bad idea as the only hero close enough to help had been Midnight, who at the time was doing a televised interview. Though she hurried to help, she was tailed by reporters, and the questioning following the event had been caught on camera, revealing pretty much everything regarding the abduction, the consequences of which were already showing themselves in the negative media UA was receiving.

"Well, thanks I guess. That was nice in a really weird, misconstrued way. You're on a roll today." Uraraka grinned again, but this time it seemed like a shadow of it's former glory. "I have to go back to my dorm since I promised Mina I'd tell her more about what happened yesterday but... If you ever want a training partner again contact me, okay? I'm determined to win next time."

Bakugou nodded, stifling a grin at the thought of the challenge. "Sure thing Gravity girl. Just make sure you don't hold back again."

With that said, Bakugou turned and walked off to continue his practice alone. He couldn't help but hold a newfound respect for the girl, even if it was small.

* * *

 _Well that was cathartic._ Uraraka pondered as she climbed the stairs of the dorm building. _Who would've expected Bakugou of all people to be comforting?_

No, wait, Maybe it was to be expected. After all, the two of them had both been there for the event, it would only stand to reason that they would have similar impressions of it. Besides, Uraraka had always had a sneaking suspicion that Bakugou cared much more for his classmates than he let on, though it wasn't always present. For the life of her she still couldn't figure out why Bakugou, king of the class, would feel it necessary to bully an underdog like Izuku. Perhaps it had something to do with their shared past.

Instead of heading straight to Mina's dorm for her meeting, Uraraka dropped by the common room fridge first to grab a mineral water. She had gotten very dehydrated during the fight, a consequence which she hoped couldn't be credited to her embarrassing episode of tears.

To her surprise, the common room wasn't empty when she entered. Todoroki, Momo, and Iida were gathered around the room, each on either a phone or laptop. Uraraka tried to step lightly so as not to disturb them, but Todoroki looked up at the sound of the door closing, blowing her cover.

"Hello everyone, sorry to interrupt. I promise I'll be right in and out!" She assured, moving across the carpet to get to the kitchenette.

"It's no problem Uraraka." Momo promised, swiveling her neck to greet the other girl with a welcoming grin. "We're just doing a bit of research on recent crime trends. You're free to join us if you'd like."

Uraraka shook her head, silently noting the omission of the research's purpose. It was odd, though everyone was trying to help find Izuku, it was almost as if no one wanted to admit he was even gone. As if it was some kind of imaginary circumstance and talking about it would somehow make it true.

"I'd love to stay and help but I have to meet Mina in her dorm." She responded, opening the fridge as she spoke. "She and I were going to talk about-"

"HEY GUYS!"

An enthusistic looking Mina burst into the room, raising her phone aloft in her right land with her left gesturing grandly at the screen.

"I found a lead!" The pink haired girl gushed, leaping over one of the couch backs to land directly beside a bewildered Momo. "See, I was scrolling through the search results, and on like page twenty four I found this chatroom where someone mentioned a guy with a quirk like the one you told me about Shouto!"

Uraraka walked over to tap Mina on the head, giving a small wave and smile when she looked up.

"Oh hey Uraraka! Crazy running into you here! I was waiting for you in my dorm but I kind of got pulled into the whole research thing too. I was hoping that I'd run into you soon though, cause Todoroki filled everyone here in already. It'd be really cool if you still wanted to hang with us though!"

"Of course!" Uraraka answered, shifting to take a seat beside Iida. "But first, tell us about the lead."

"No problem. So, like I said this chat room mentions a guy similar to the one you described, and to make things even more suspicious the people seem to be talking about how he could 'do a favor' for some dude in the chat. Weird right?"

Mina flexed the phone around in a perfect 360, showing the people in the room the alleged chat. Momo, upon seeing the screen, began to type feverishly into her laptop, making the same image appear on it's screen in a few seconds.

"You must've looked very hard to find this. This chat is old, and most of the messages a buried pretty deep."

"Yep! Don't underestimate the determination of Mina Ashido!" The girl cheered, pumping her fist. "I'm really good at most stuff that has to do with social media, and you wouldn't believe how quickly I can scan walls of text for keywords. One thing led to another and eventually it led me here. I'm just happy it might finally come in handy for something serious."

"You're amazing Mina!" Uraraka leaned down over Momo's shoulder to view the chat, her eyes catching on a certain phrase.

"So it seems as though this guy needed to hire mercenaries for some sort of expedition, probably an illegal one, and someone suggested their friend. They described him as 'a tall skinny porcupine looking dude, almost impossible to miss' they also said he was really rude and tough to work with, but would make up for it in performance. Sounds familiar right?" Mina asked. "If we gave this to someone professional, I bet they could track the guy who posted it and question him or something."

Todoroki seemed a bit more skeptical.

"The description certainly matches one of the men we encountered, but we hardly have enough information to prove it's him. There could be plenty of vulgar people in Japan with a porcupine quirk. There isn't so much that we can legally do with the information, but perhaps the circumstances will allow us to do a bit more digging than usual. Good work."

Mina blushed a bit, obviously not expecting a compliment from her usually neutral peer. "Like I said it's no problem! lets just hope it's enough." She reiterated, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yes Mina, thank you for continuing to be a model student and hero!" Iida piped up, patting his friend on the back as he rose to leave the room. "I will go alert someone more equipped to deal with the situation of this new development."

The gathered students all spoke their agreement before Iida took off into the hall.

Though the day still hung with a stench of depression and failure, Uraraka couldn't help but feel hopeful for the future. She was surrounded by friends, all of whom cared just as much for Izuku as she did. Was it weird that the boy left such a memorable impression on all those he came into contact with?

 _No._ Uraraka thought. _That's just who Izuku is. A loving and heroic person. It would really be more difficult not to be friends with him. I can never imagine him doing anything that would upset others, he almost never thinks about himself._

She once again was hit with a wave of guilt, thinking of how Izuku had sacrificed himself for his friends.

 _Don't worry._ She told herself, a confident tone enveloping her inner monologue. _We'll save Izuku soon, and then he'll be back here same as always._

* * *

 **Okay so I know that this chapter is super early based on my previous two releases, but since I hope to possibly switch to a twice a week update schedule I hope this helps to ease everyone in.**

 **I'd like to give especial thanks to everyone who comments on this story. Every time I get a review notification I rush to read it, and I'm very lucky only to have positive reviews so far!**

 **I'd encourage anyone regardless of their opinion of the story to give constructive reviews to help me improve or simply tell me what they've enjoyed in previous chapters. This both inspires me to write faster and helps me to give my writing better quality, so it does make a difference!**

 **Sorry if any characters were a bit ooc in this chapter. Tell me if you thought they did anything uncharacteristic and I'll try my best to fix the issue.**

 **Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter 4

-Chapter Four-

When Izuku returned to consciousness, the first thing that came to his mind was the aching pain that encompassed his head. The second was the knife poised directly above his throat.

Instructively, he reached out his arm to push the weapon away, but whoever it's wielder was jumped away before he could even make contact. The sudden withdraw was accompanied by a shrill squeak, too high to be that of a teenager.

Izuku was extremely confused, but the gradually dulling pain echoing across his temples kept him from investigating immediately. It felt as though he had been struck with something exceedingly heavy, but couldn't remember what. Upon gauging his surroundings, however, his memory returned to him.

For a second he dwelled on the events that had led him to this point. There was a myriad of questions and concerns that rose to the forefront of his thoughts, though he knew that if they were to answered, it would be with time and not contemplation, so he dismissed them in favor of focusing on the problem at hand.

The headache, he reasoned, was likely a byproduct of the women from earlier's quirk. The knife, however, was much more difficult to explain away.

By ignoring the strain on his head temporarily, Izuku was able to get into an at least relatively comfortable sitting position, allowing for a view of the room he now occupied.

Though it resembled the previous cell in structure, the new room was obviously built with long term stay in mind. Not only was it significantly more spacious, but it also contained a number of amenities. A single, metal framed bed was wedged into one of the far corners of the room not far from a small restroom area. All in all the area resembled a typical prison cell that one would see on television aside from a few peculiarities. The concrete floors and walls, though mostly clean, had numerous red stains dotting their surfaces, and oddly enough there was a rack of weapons haphazardly leaning against one wall. Lastly, the most unfitting component of the room was the holder of the knife in question, a ragged looking girl somewhere between the ages of nine and twelve.

Though she was trying to put on a brave face, the girl was obviously very shaken. The knife shuddered anxiously in her grasp despite the fact that it was held with both hands, and her stance was entirely defensive. She must've been abducted in a similar manner to Izuku to provoke this kind of reaction, though judging from her unrestricted movement she hadn't undergone the same experiences afterwards.

Another confusing factor was the direction of the girl's fear. Though it was to expected that the girl would be a bit frightened, all of it was focused on Izuku, who really felt as though he couldn't look less threatening in his current state. Of course if the women from earlier was telling the truth, then he could be horribly incorrect in that assumption.

"Stay back!" The girl warned, brandishing her weapon in front of her as she spoke. "I'm not afraid to use this thing!"

Her actions contradicted her words, eyes flashing back and forth from the weapon to the wall beside Izuku, afraid to look him in the eyes.

Izuku considered the situation as he formulated a response. The girl was obviously not in the right state to be reasoned with considering her high level of emotion, but at the same time she probably wouldn't calm down without some form of reassurance. Izuku decided that removing himself as a threat was probably the best course of action to take.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on hurting you." He insisted in the calmest voice possible. "I'd just like to hear more details about our situation if that's okay with you. I'm a bit in the dark here considering that I just woke up."

The girl dropped her guard a bit but kept the knife pointed out in Izuku's direction. Despite the genuine quality his words had possessed, she obviously found it difficult to believe that the danger had passed.

"Well I don't know what you know already so I need to hear your story before I explain anything. If what you say doesn't add up I'm not talking at all." She declared, her posture retaining it's rigidness.

It was probably best to agree to her terms, and it might make her view Izuku as less of a threat.

"Okay." Izuku responded amicably. "I was out with some of my friends when we were attacked by some guys who I think work here somewhere. They sent me here, and then I met with someone. A women with dark hair who wore a suit, and she told me that they had captured my friends too. Then afterwards she..."

"Used her quirk on you, right?" The girl finished, her expression shifting into one of grim expectation. "She told me she did. She also told me what that meant."

Izuku nodded, fairly sure of what the girl was getting at. "Yeah. But I don't really feel much different. Other than having a headache I guess, but that's really not new for me at this point. If you met with her, then does that mean that we're in the same boat?"

A doubtful look was thrown in Izuku's direction before the girl spoke. "No I don't think so. She didn't use her quirk on me or even seem to think I was worth anything. Just told me that since I was quirkless I was dispensable enough to be sent here."

Before Izuku could ask exactly what that meant, he had a sudden realization.

"This cell is meant for one person judging by the size and furniture, and the weapons rack would imply that-"

"One of us isn't meant to leave alive. Yeah."

Now the situation made much more sense. The people who had trapped him here were human traffickers who sold and created weapons for the city's underground crime population. They were popular enough to warrant a large area of business as well as multiple hires who possessed rare and unusual quirks. Why not train their merchandise in the most realistic way possible?

"But that's crazy! No matter what she said her quirk was I would never kill anyone. Especially an innocent."

The girl shrugged, finally lowering the weapon in her hands.

"Well that lady didn't seem to think so. Besides, she did tell me it'd take a bit to kick in and would be kind of slow. That's why I was trying to..." The girl's speech trailed off but Izuku could guess what she was going to say. _Trying to kill me before I became dangerous._

He shivered involuntarily, remembering the knife hovering above his head just a few minutes ago. He couldn't blame the girl though, since she obviously believed that her life hung in the balance. Still, her hesitance to take action was a testament to her good character. She had probably had a large window of time in which to attack, but hadn't. Izuku sincerely hoped that it had been a good decision on her part.

"As long as we're here together, we might as well introduce ourselves." Izuku forced himself to stand, leaning partially on the wall behind him. "I'm Midoriya Izuku, but you can also call me Deku if you'd like."

The girl tilted her head slightly, a look of curious puzzlement on her face. "Deku? But doesn't that mean-" Seemingly thinking better of the comment the girl switched to a less offensive line of speech. "Well I guess I'll call you Midoriya then."

Izuku waited a bit in strained silence for the girl to give her name, but when no introduction came he decided to start up a conversation on another topic. He needed some sort of distraction or he knew he'd revert to thinking about his encounter with the women from earlier, something that he'd rather pretend never occurred as long as there was nothing he could do to change it.

"So, how long were you here before I was?" He questioned awkwardly. He had never been good at conversing in tense situations.

"In this room? About an hour I think. In the facility in general. At least a week. I think they keep people like me around for when they have people like you to train. They told me awhile ago that I wasn't going to get out easy, so I'd kind of accepted it. Even if I can kill you I think they'll just use me for someone else."

Well that line of conversation had turned depressing fast. Just as Izuku was thinking that maybe talking wasn't the best idea, a question came from an unlikely source.

"You were a hero in training, right?" The girl asked, her face neutral as she went to sit on the room's only bed. "That's what they told me anyways."

"Yeah."He nodded. "I still am."

That comment earned him an almost pitying glance from the girl.

"Anyways, I wanted to know what it's like. At a hero school. I'm quirkless so I couldn't really ever even dream of doing what you did, but I've always been curious."

Izuku felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. He knew all too well what it was like to be seen as useless for not having a quirk, and it seemed as though she had similar aspirations to his own as well.

"Its very exciting, but dangerous too. My class in particular has had a lot of run ins with villains, and the workload is crazy too. Even with all of that going on it's still more than worth it though. Everyone there is so talented and dedicated, you're pretty much constantly surrounded with amazing people, not to mention how rewarding it is to know that the work you're doing is going to help other people someday."

The girl got a somewhat wistful expression on her face as she listened, though it disappeared once Izuku stopped talking.

She wedged the knife between the mattress and the bar of the bed frame next to her before settling in and pulling the thin sheet on top of the bed over herself, both claiming the space as her own and ending any chance of further conversation in one fell swoop.

This left Izuku to sleep on the floor, which though uncomfortable wasn't difficult considering how tired he still felt.

The next day came with a new set of challenges other than boring small talk.

Though Izuku had formerly denied that he felt any effects of the women's quirk, it was becoming much more difficult to believe.

Though it was hard to place, he certainly felt off. It was the kind of nagging feeling he usually got in the back of his mind when he wanted to do something but couldn't quite place what. As if his mind certainly felt the need to perform an action, but had never done it before then so it didn't know quite how to phrase it. Then, the intrusive thoughts came. When he looked at the girl he shared his cell with, he involuntarily began to size her up as a potential threat. The thought process usually came back to the idea that the girl was defenseless and easy to dispatch, going into detail on the ways he could do so, highlighting how simple it would be to snap the girl's neck or slit her throat. Izuku even occasionally got to the point where he rationalized the action. The girl was going to die one way or another, he might as well make it quick.

He came back to his senses every time, but each felt more delayed than the last, not to mention how horrified and anxious he felt afterwards. He'd never be able to forgive himself if the girl was hurt by him at all, much less if she was killed.

He wanted to warn her, but at the same time worried that it would cause her to be even more worried.

The only time the two had talked since the day before was when the day's lunch had arrived through a one way slot in the door. The food was of a bland, unidentifiable variety that was likely bought due to cost effectiveness.

Since there was only enough portion for one person, the two had been forced to talk in order to sort out how it should be split.

Despite the girl's insistence otherwise, she had ended up with the majority of the food while Izuku had only eaten a measly portion.

Considering the initial defensiveness that the girl had shown, she mellowed considerably over the coarse of the day. Every so often, Izuku would even see her sneaking hesitant glances at him as though she had something to say that she couldn't manage to articulate.

When Izuku had finally lost all hope of hearing whatever it was she had to say though, the girl finally spoke up.

"Hey Midoriya." She began shyly. "You know earlier when I said that I only guessed you were a hero in training because of what that lady told me? I wasn't really telling the truth. I saw you during that televised event your school held."

Izuku wasn't really surprised to hear this. After all nearly the entire country watched the broadcasts, and he had been stopped in public multiple times due to others recognizing him. Why the girl had acted as though it was some sort of secret was the only confusing part.

"My mom and I watched it together actually. We used to get together every year and make a big event out of the whole thing. We'd pick our favorite students, cheer them on as loudly as we could, and bet on who would win. My mom would put so much effort into it that it was a blast whether or not our picks actually made it. I think she did it because she knew about how much I wanted to be a hero but couldn't." The girl paused, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. "Watching it this year was pretty much the same as always, but I enjoyed it a lot more for some reason. When your grade was going, I didn't know who to root for at first, but after a bit I settled on you. I think it was because you seemed like you couldn't really use your quirk right, but you still tried so hard. You even won the race portion all by yourself! To me it almost proved that someone who didn't have control over their quirk... Or who didn't have a quirk at all, could still be a hero. After that I seriously thought that maybe if I was just determined enough, I could really do it."

Izuku was genuinely shocked. His goal as a hero had always been to help others, and by being such an inspiration to even one person he felt that he had already succeeded. He had often dreamed of having fans but the experience was so different in real life especially knowing that it had meant so much to the girl. Someone who had had an experience almost exactly like his as a child had found their determination based on him. It was unbelievable. He want to show his gratitude, but didn't really get the chance since the girl hadn't finished talking.

"I practiced every day after that, getting stronger even though I didn't have a quirk. Someday I wanted to be brave enough to fight criminals and keep the peace. My dad... He died in a mugging when I was really little so I always wanted to stop stuff like that from happening to other families. It was tough at first but I got pretty good at it after awhile. I had to do it behind my mom's back though, because if she knew I was putting myself in danger she would've told me to stop. So I went to a dangerous part of town to run laps and told her I was hanging out with friends. That's when I got taken." She was sniffling a bit now as well, rubbing her sleeve across her face to catch her tears. "At first I wanted to be brave, but when I saw it was you who they said was going to kill me, I couldn't fight you. But I didn't want to talk to you either, because that would just make it worse, so I was rude to you, but you're just as nice as I expected you to be, and I wanted to tell you that before I... Before I have to go."

"No." Izuku said suddenly. "You aren't going to go anywhere. If I get dangerous or try to do anything, you have to stop me okay? I'll die before anything happens to you alright?"

The girl shook her head feverishly through her tears. "No! You're so much more important than me, I'd never have really amounted to anything anyways!"

"Look, I'm a hero. If I couldn't protect a little girl like you then I'd be failing to do what I know is right. Please, for my sake even if you don't mean it, promise me that you'll make sure you survive."

The girl collected herself for a minute before replying. "Fine. But I don't really mean it."

Izuku nodded. That would have to be enough for now.

Tired out by her outburst, the girl climbed into bed and placed her head on the pillow, signalling for Izuku to start trying to sleep in his spot on the ground.

He was almost asleep when the girl spoke again.

"My name. It's Ima."

* * *

 **Okay, thank you all so much for reading!**

 **I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit late or short but it was a bit difficult to write considering that it's so emotional and not much happens for it's duration.**

 **I'm sorry for adding yet another oc but it's probably better that you don't get too attached to this one, so it's good for you if you don't like her much.**

 **As always I'd like to encourage you to leave comments and thank everyone who has done so so far.**

 **Thank you!**


	5. Chapter 5

-Chapter Five-

If the pain had been difficult to cope with before, now there was no other word for it than unbearable.

Though the first two days in captivity had been littered with signs of what was to come, Izuku couldn't have ever prepared for the current level of mental strain he was experiencing.

From nearly the moment he had woken up that morning his consciousness had been filled with nothing but the impulse to kill.

He felt overwhelmingly tireless, and at first it was impossible for him not to pace his cell. However the first time his eyes met with Ima, he immediately regretted the action.

Instead of gently persuading Izuku to fulfill the command, his instincts were now unrelentingly forcing themselves to the forefront of his mind, a seemingly endless torrent of orders all aimed towards the purpose of murder. In order to stop himself from giving in, Izuku had seated himself in the furthest corner of the room from the girl's bed. With his eyes facing the wall, it was almost possible to forget her existence entirely, though he was always just a bit too aware of his cellmate when he heard a noise behind him.

Even small noises like breathing, footsteps, and the rustling of sheets echoed in the enclosed space, leaving Izuku in a constant cycle of response and repression. The strong inclination to move was ever present as well, and though he tried to keep entirely still he could feel himself shaking with the effort.

Though he assumed Ima must've been awake by a certain time mark, he ensured that he never looked over his shoulder to check. While they had conversed quite a bit the day before, the girl must have noted Izuku's behavioral changes and realized it was better to leave him be.

The longer Izuku went on, the more the impulses pushed other thoughts away. After a few hours, Izuku had forgotten almost everything but the compulsory need for violence. Broken down to the point of mere instinct, it was extremely difficult not to turn and give in to the command, but every time he began an attempt something would stop him, though at that point he had no idea what.

There was simply a pressing intuition at the back of his mind that convinced him to hold back, but it seemed to weaken with the passing of time.

Eventually, inhibiting the impulse would be unthinkable, and then nothing could stand between it and it's attainment, but it seemed as though Izuku was ready to fight it until the end.

* * *

Ennui had not expected the current turn of events, though they had seemed to have worked amazingly in her favor.

Instead of snapping and immediately slaughtering his first scheduled victim, the subject had instead insisted on prolonging the inevitable.

He had allowed her the best of what he was offered, openly conversed with her, and even found that she respected him. That would only make the unavoidable snap more difficult to forgive later on.

Based on prior observation, Ennui had found that her commands usually had about four phases.

The first was the most basic. It was characterized by a vague feeling of need, usually one that was as easy to ignore as an intrusive thought. Before the subject had experienced the fruition of the action, the notion would be formless, more of a baseless suggestion than anything else. This was the stage that most subjects lived in perpetually, since it was the most comfortable and best resembled the way a subject's cognition behaved prior to receiving a command. This phase would last about a day before dissipating.

The second was slightly more intense. This phase invoked a greater calling to the command, and gave it more form, but was still able to be forgotten or rejected. As conveniently as the first, it also lasted for a twenty four hour period before falling to it's cruder form.

Phase three was more instinctual and gritty than it's predecessors. By erasing any and all complicated thought, the command brought basic instinct to the forefront of the consciousness, making it impossible to ignore. The brain also began to work towards creating restlessness within a subject, making them more nervous and anticipant of the action as well as heightening their senses to allow easier fulfillment. At this point, if a subject gave into the command their method would be much less controlled than it would've been otherwise, as the subject is only focused on completing the task and disregards outside complications or humanity. Oh course it was a small mercy compared to what would occur were the event further prolonged.

The final and most brutal phase was silently referred to by Ennui as the breaking point. This phase was the most chaotic, and as such always occurred at a different time per subject. Regardless of the subject's purpose or command, the subject would go into a super heightened state in which their bodies would spike with adrenaline. All thoughts disregarding the action would be repressed, and the body would essentially put all of it's energy into performing the task. Ennui had found that when repressed beyond this point, the subject would expend all of their vitality in trying to complete the task without sleep, food, or water, and eventually die. Of course no subject had reached this point due to negligence. Ennui, curious regarding the extent of her ability, had practiced her quirk on a subject in the past and placed them in a position where it was impossible to fulfill their command in order to record the results, and had been fairly pleased with the outcome.

If at any point during the course of the system a subject were to give in to the command, it would reset back to phase one and repeat indefinitely.

As far as Ennui had tested there was no way to remove the effects of her quirk, and since none of her clients had ever complained or asked for a return she assumed it was impossible.

Based on camera footage that she had been monitoring in between appointments, Ennui was certain that the subject in question was currently in phase three. He certainly seemed restless, and every time he heard a sound behind him it seemed as though only mental effort was stopping him from attacking his cellmate. Ennui guessed that the girl's insistence on alerting the subject of her presence was hardly helping matters.

When Ennui had arrived at work at seven that morning, the girl had already been attempting to approach the subject. At first Ennui had believed that her pursuit of the boy's attention originated from ignorance or morbid curiosity, but at this point the whole thing seemed more like a death wish.

The girl had moved in a circle around the room multiple times, tapped the frame of the bed, and even quietly spoken the subjects name as the day went on. When the cell's daily meal had arrived, the girl had only taken a few bites before pushing it across the floor towards the boy. For some reason the girl appeared to believe that the boy would have a much easier time of the whole ordeal if he just killed her, already having given up on her own escape.

Despite all this though, the subject seemed completely oblivious. Ennui was shocked to see that anyone could have such strong willpower, though she was certain he would eventually crack. It didn't even matter if she had to wait until phase three, she knew she was going to get the result she had planned for.

Ennui was then unexpectedly jolted from her thoughts by a loud noise emitting from her laptop. Upon checking the screen, she realized that the perpetrator was a video call originating from an unknown source.

Ennui was tempted not to answer, but knew that a direct call to her business account was likely to be a client. Of course such things were usually handled by the sales department, but she wouldn't be surprised if something had been redirected to without prior warning. Her suspicions were confirmed a second later when a text message flashed across the screen of her smartphone.

 _Important client wanted to speak with you. Don't screw this up. Line is secure._

Yep, that was certainly someone from the sales department. Short, to the point, and providing just enough information to cause a sense of dread. Ennui sighed and took a second to tuck a few stray hairs back into her ponytail and straighten her posture. Despite majoring in psychology she had never particularly enjoyed talking to others, especially those in a higher position of authority than herself.

She braced herself and clicked the answer button, plastering a fake smile across her face for effect.

"Hello, this is the masquerade's lead conditioner speaking. I was informed you had questions about our services?"

Despite the pretense of a video call, the other line had chosen to one way block the video feature. That meant Ennui's face could be seen, but she couldn't see the face of her client, yet another downside to communicating on behalf of the company.

"Yes. I apologize for the anonymity of this conversation but you'll likely recognize me by name of my association. I'm currently speaking to you on behalf of the league of villains."

Ennui's blood turned cold. Not only a one way video call from a client, but one which involved one of Japan's most influential criminal organizations. She couldn't help but feel that the whole thing was rather out of her depth, but then she recalled the request of the particular client in question.

This was the group that had asked for Izuku Midoriya, her current favorite subject, and if truth be told they were the ones willing to pay about twice as high a price as the average client.

"Oh, I assure you it isn't an issue." Ennui responded easily, changing her tone of voice to fit a more friendly expression. "Are you curious about our process or simply about the subject's state? I should be able to clarify everything for you either way."

"If I'm being entirely honest I doubt the authenticity of your services. Before my colleagues and I devote any time or effort to this project I would like to be sure of it's value. Though it was recommended in high regard, I find it difficult to believe that your method is fail safe."

Ennui nodded amicably. She was always willing to give a rundown of her process regardless of her audience. "If I recall your request correctly, then you requested that the UA first year student, Midoriya Izuku, be captured and conditioned for use as either an assassin or soldier. You specified that you, in particular, required that the subject was to be conditioned for violent behavior, whether to make a statement or for intimidation purposes was left unspecified. Regardless our conditioning branch recently captured the subject as made obvious by recent media coverage, and has begun training. Your request is made possible by the help of specialists in our facility who posses mind altering quirks, though we can't expose specific details due to policy. Our process has never failed previously, even on the most resilient of subjects. If you don't trust our word we can introduce you to previous clients who have given permission to be listed as such, they'll all tell you the same thing."

There was a slight pause before the client spoke again. "I suppose I'll just have to trust you then. I have one more question before I leave. I'm certain you are aware of the effect of recent media coverage regarding your company. You are being researched much more thoroughly than in previous months and it is likely that professional heroes are likely to show up on your doorstep any day now. For my organization, this indicates that time is especially of the essence, and it is imperative that we know when the transaction is ready to occur."

Ennui had to stifle a frown from her face at the words. It was true that her company was playing with fire, but she didn't intend on being burned any time soon.

"I estimate that a transaction will be possible in about a week minimum. Of course it may be possible to cut this time in half but with mixed results. In the past most clients have provided a month for training, but these are unique circumstances. I trust that you'll be capable of adjusting to any complications that arise from early dismissal of the subject, though we won't be held accountable as per our contract."

"Fine. You have four days from today to prepare before we arrive for pick up in the aforementioned spot. Please be punctual in your delivery."

After that the screen went entirely black and Ennui was finally able to slump down in her chair with relief. Four days. She could find some way to work with that. Maybe. She just had to think over all her actions from now on more carefully-

Her thoughts were cut by the buzzing of her phone on the desk beside her.

"Oh for crying out loud!" She exclaimed angrily, picking up the phone. "Who could it possibly be now?"

Caller ID indicated that it was one of the surveillance officers, a guard like Vex who checked cameras and inhibited subject movement when it became unstable. She answered reluctantly. Even if this conversation went poorly she'd be able to blow off a bit of steam on an inferior.

"Whatever this is it'd better be important." She grumbled fiercely, tapping her manicured nails against her desk in anticipation. "I'm not having a good day."

"Ma'am I just thought you'd like to know that one of the newer subjects, Izuku Midoriya, finally seems to be active."

Ennui dropped her phone onto the floor as she swiveled her chair back to face the camera feeds. Surely enough the boy had stood and turned to face the other side of the room while the girl, shaking and terrified, stood a few feet away. Despite the defensiveness she had exhibited during the beginning of her stay, she was now utterly defenseless, standing in the room center without a weapon or object to hide behind. Her face held some sort of stubborn resolve, and with a sigh of relief Ennui realized that she didn't plan on backing down. Things were finally moving forward.

It was difficult to discern which phase the subject was currently in be it three or four, but either way there was no turning back. He still had a bit of determination left in him obviously, since he'd only been staring at the subject as of now, but the calm wouldn't last.

Surprisingly enough, however, the girl began to speak as though she believed she would still be heard.

"O-okay Midoriya... I can tell that this is really painful for you, and I don't want to be the reason you feel hurt. I've thought this over and I know I said I'd try not to die, but I'm... I want to end this whole thing. I think that you can get out and still be a good person, but I can't get out at all so-" The girl choked back tears, causing Ennui to roll her eyes a bit at the over dramatic tone of the situation. "I don't blame you for anything that happens. And even if you can't hear me right now I want you to know that I'm so sorry for doing this."

The subject advanced a bit. Just a step, but still it was progress. The girl across from him flinched, but her overall stance didn't shift.

"And if you can hear me, there's something I want to ask you to do."

Another step.

"Please tell my mom what happened to me."

And another.

"I want her to know that I tried my best to be brave."

The distance was closing fast. One more movement and she'd be a goner.

"Thank you for caring about me until the end."

It happened all at once. A Punch hit the girl accompanied by a loud crack that Ennui could only assume was her rib cage based on trajectory. The girl looked as though she wanted to cry out but was too winded by the attack. Her face was contorted into an expression of pained shock as she fell back against the wall. Then something occurred which Ennui could only assume was the beginning of the breaking point. A flurry of punches aimed seemingly at random hit the girl, breaking bones with each impact. This part of the job was always rather brutal and gory, but Ennui had more or less inured herself to it's effects.

Worse still Ennui was aware of genuine expression of joy on the subject's face. It was part of her quirk's nature that the subject would enjoy the commandment's fulfillment in the moment, but that didn't make the situation any less disturbing to view. Even someone as used to the sight as she was couldn't help but feel a sense of disgust. It was necessary for results, however, so she was able to turn a blind eye.

Ennui knew the boy's consciousness would reset phases at the exact point of the girl's death, and by then it would be too late to reverse the damage.

* * *

Izuku felt ecstatic.

He wasn't quite sure why, but it was as if his entire existence prior to that moment had consisted of agonizing pain and energy, but then, as if by some miracle, the feelings that had been so tormenting just disappeared altogether.

The experience was comparable to finding out you got a perfect grade on a stressful test, drinking water for the first time after a day of dehydration, or realizing that something dreaded like a roller coaster was in actuality thrilling and wonderful. It was the most elated and relieved he had ever felt in his entire life.

At least until his senses returned.

The first thing he noticed was the liquid on his hands. It was too thick to be water, and it smelled metallic. When he looked down to investigate, he saw that it was a dark red color. But that wasn't the worst of it.

On the ground lay a corpse made nearly unrecognizable by the bruises and blood which covered it. Both arms were bent in ways they shouldn't be, and the neck was turned to an impossible degree. Izuku knew who it was instantly.

"Ima." His voice sounded harsh and airy, the single spoken word was filled with shock and disbelief.

Izuku immediately turned away and hurled what little was in his system on the floor beside him.

The scent of blood began to mingle horribly with the stench of vomit, and the world spun. It felt as though every sensory intake was too much to handle, and was filled with the chaotic desire to be anywhere but where he was.

He covered his eyes and turned away from the sight, unable to stop himself from gagging once more. He could feel the blood everywhere, it was as if the walls were closing in around him.

Ima's words kept replaying in his mind.

The innocent, sweet little kid who had had no quirk and wanted to be a hero above all else. The kid whose family always supported their dream despite it's impossible nature. The kid who had come so close to achieving their dream but had been brought here instead. That kid had died in a brutal horrible way right before his eyes and he hadn't even had the decency to say goodbye. _He had been happy about it._

Izuku ran to the door and began to hit it with full power. He knew his bones must be breaking but he didn't care. The door, made of some impossibly strong reinforced metal, merely began to dent, and now his knuckles were bleeding, but he couldn't feel it. All he knew was that he had to get out. Away from the mangled thing on the floor a few feet away.

Suddenly some sort of force encapsulated the air around him in a bubble, separating him from the door and what minuscule chance of escape he had. The force field cut off all the air around him, and he could feel himself slowly suffocating, but still he struggled to break free.

Eventually the air did run out, and he lost consciousness, a feeling both welcome and unwelcome at once. Then everything fell away to darkness.

* * *

 **This chapter was a bit difficult to write, but I hope you like it nonetheless.**

 **Some of my more loyal readers have probably noticed that the work's name has changed, and I'm happy to inform you that I plan to keep it this way. "Rising Storm" was more of a placeholder than anything else, and now that I've thought of a more fitting name I decided to do away with it. If you've seen this name on any other fics and think I should change it or simply don't like it tell me and I can edit it.**

 **I know you're probably annoyed by all my talk of comments, and I'll admit its fair to be annoyed. But still I'd love for you to comment and want to thank those who have done so so far.**

 **If you have a question for me post it as a review and I'll answer it here in the post note next chapter.**

 **Thank you for reading!**


	6. Chapter 6

-Chapter Six-

"So, are things still on schedule with the Midoriya kid?"

Ennui sighed and nodded lightly, shuffling a stack of documents into her purse. "Surprisingly enough, yes. It's taken a lot of effort and resources, but I believe that he'll be ready for release by the end of the week." She purposely neglected to mention the fact that she didn't have a week to prepare the subject, knowing that it would only serve to irritate her coworker. Though most of the burden of subject's training fell to her, the conditioning expert had found that it didn't stop others in her company from fretting over the training as well, especially when their pay checks were equally dependent on it's success. The current peer in question happened to be a subject surveillance and repression worker, which despite allowing plenty of chances for observation of merchandise didn't seem to do the best job of entirely sating subject related curiosity.

"End of the week? That's a bit less time than these things usually take right? You sure it'll go okay?"

Ennui felt her brow knit in irritation as she responded. "I haven't failed a task in the past and I don't plan on doing so now. If you think it prudent to doubt my abilities then you may as well resign from your position now seeing as the fate of this entire business rests in my hands." The women knew the comment was unnecessarily biting, but it was difficult for her to remain polite when under both stress and scrutiny, and her pride wouldn't allow her to admit her misgivings either way.

The retort was met with a surprising amount of repentance on part of the younger employee, evident in both the blush that crept to her face and the nervous way she bit her lower lip. "Sorry! I didn't mean to seem doubtful of your abilities, you've always done so well in the past after all. I'm just counting on the bonus from this sale is all. Not that you should feel pressured or anything Ennui! I mean I'll be okay either way..." The girl trailed off, her eyes flitting restlessly to the floor. Ennui was always pleased with the level of reverence and fear the newer employees displayed around her, it was wonderful to have a reminder of how intimidating she could appear. Speaking of which...

"You're on the surveillance team aren't you?" Ennui asked, though she had in truth already known what the answer would be. Since this particular meeting was taking place in one of the buildings elevator's on the morning before a work day, she could easily pass the idea of having forgotten her coworker's identity. She found treating others as if they were below memory to be a fine power play, and it seemed as though pulling rank wouldn't hurt if she questioned the girl about something as risky as she was planning.

"Yes I am! Kato Ai code-named Ward at your service!" The girl's enthusiasm was draining to say the least, and Ennui couldn't help but figure that it likely originated from a desire to climb the corporate ladder. _What a kiss up._ She thought, tilting her head to roll her eyes away from the youth's view before facing her once more with a sweet expression.

"That's terrific! That would mean you're the girl who can create long distance force fields, correct? Your response to the possible crisis of the Midoriya case was highly admirable. It's no wonder you're so invested." Ennui was referring, of course, to the boy's break out attempt upon the death of Ueda Ima. Though his reaction had proven to be satisfactory, the accompanying rampage was not. Ennui had been forced to hire a costly professional with a healing oriented quirk to fix his injuries afterwards, not to mention the price of reinforcing his cell door several times over. Though he was difficult to accommodate, it was no wonder the League of Villains had their eyes set on the green haired student. Of course even his quirk hadn't been able to stand up to the incredible repressive effects of Ward's field. Her quick response as well as her effectiveness had no doubt earned her a permanent spot in the group, a fact which slightly irked Ennui.

"Thank you! I'm just glad someone as important as yourself took notice! I'm willing to help as long as there's money to be had!" _Good._ Ennui commented inwardly. _Then this will be easy._

"It's funny that you'd mention that, because I just so happen to have an opportunity open to you which could result in a pay raise if done properly." The girl visibly perked up, her eagerness at the idea of increased pay poorly concealed. "Are you willing to take on a bit of extra work?"

"Yes of course ma'am!" Was the girl's immediate response. "Just tell me what you need done!"

Ennui considered her words carefully, worried by the possibility of her request's rejection. "Have you been working the main monitors often as of late?" She prompted, deciding to present the task in as round about a manner as possible.

"Yes, from eight in the morning to twelve." The employee replied amicably, stepping lithely off the elevator just as it's doors began to part. Ennui followed closely after despite the fact that her office occupied a lower floor. "After that Watanabe Renzo's shift begins. But I'm sure you already know that, so I'll assume you were inquiring after the level of attention I've been paying to the kids in the cells?"

She looked to her superior for confirmation, and Ennui granted her a swift nod.

"I notice a lot I guess. It's hard not to when they're my only real form of entertainment. Can't help but feel sorry for some of 'em but... Hey it's natural selection I guess." The girl's words were accompanied by a haphazard shrug. "You gotta crack a few eggs to make an omelet. I'm sure you feel the same, right?"

The girl hardly paused to listen for a response before continuing. "Basically what I'm saying is that whatever job you have in mind for me I'm more than willing regardless of how dirty it is, so you can quit beating around the bush."

Ennui wanted to be annoyed by the blunt way of speech as well as the assumption of the purposed task's inherit immorality, but at the same time she welcomed to opportunity to get the whole thing over with.

"Fine then. Since you say you've been watching the subjects closely then I trust you've noticed Midoriya Izuku's recent progress. I've been sending quirkless fodder in at a fairly consistent rate for the past two days and though he took his time with the first three or so, the more recent candidates haven't lasted more than an hour. Normally I'd be pleased with results like these, but at the same time he hasn't spoken since the first death, and hasn't eaten any of the food we've been sending in at all."

Though Ennui hadn't been quite finished speaking, her companion took the pause as invitation to comment. "You worried your plans for this one worked a bit too well, huh? It's true its a bit off but not completely unprecedented or anything. Plenty of kids react like this at first. Besides I'm sure the clients won't care if he's a bit off as long as he does what he's told."

Ennui had to bite her tongue to keep from sending back a harsh retort. "Certainly. But that's not exactly the issue here. I'm concerned more by the fact that the progression of my psychoanalysis of the subject is hindered by his lack of verbal activity."

The girl turned and shared a knowing expression with her. "Oh yeah. That whole pet project thing you have with behavioral analysis. Quill might judge but I won't, we all have our hobbies. How exactly do I fit into this though?"

"I'd like to speak to the subject directly to get the data I need. I haven't gotten permission from the higher ups, however, and I don't really have the time to request something so unorthodox from the higher ups at the moment. Because of this I can't access the cell intercom to speak to him, and would need to go to his cell myself. Of course this would be a death sentence without the proper protection, not to mention that I'd need a blind spot in the camera footage to operate in, both of which I believe you can provide."

Despite her earlier insistence, the girl seemed taken aback. "That's pretty dangerous you know. My quirk may be strong but even it has it's limits. You saw what that kid could do, right? And all this just to satisfy your curiosity?"

The two had arrived at the entrance to the security room where Kato was stationed, though the girl stopped in front of the door to address Ennui further. "If you get yourself killed the company loses one of it's most valuable assets. We literally can't operate without you ya'know."

Ennui quirked one eyebrow and let her tone shift to a more threatening one. "If that's a no then I suppose I can ask another officer to help me. It's your money lost not mine." She pivoted without another word, hoping the bluff would be enough to coax her coworker.

There were no sounds other than her polished heels against the hardwood floor until suddenly- "Fine. I'll do it."

Ennui walked back to the employee, a look of subtle victory encompassing her face, though it was gone as quickly as it had come.

"Thank you. I'd appreciate it if the cameras went dark around ten today. Replace the missing footage with whatever you think will seem convincing." She slid a wad of cash into the girls open hand before heading back to the elevator.

Though the conversation had gone sour sooner than she expected, she was grateful at least to know that monetary manipulation hadn't worn out it's uses. It was one of the few benefits of working beside criminals after all.

* * *

To say that Izuku Midoriya had had a difficult week would be the understatement of the century.

Ever since he had first woken up from his frenzy, it seemed as though he was living through some kind of sluggish nightmare.

Surprisingly, he found things much different than they had been when he'd feinted. The walls and floors were clear of blood, and his arm and hand had somehow been miraculously fixed. Even the sheets that covered the thin wire frame bed in the corner of the room showed signs of wash. It was almost as if the events of the last day had never happened. But of course that was just wishful thinking.

Not soon after he regained consciousness, the newly finished cell door had swung open to accept a new occupant, and Izuku had experienced an overwhelming feeling of dread. They expected him to do it again, he'd realized. And again. In fact it was probably the only thing he would be allowed to do for the rest of his life.

Though the cell's new visitor was a slightly older male, Izuku couldn't help but be reminded of Ima, especially when he chose a thin switchblade off the rack to defend himself. At the time, the green haired boy had also silently noted that either Ima's knife, or a near replica, had been placed back into it's spot as well.

When his new cellmate began to ask questions, Izuku provided no answer. He had learned his lesson from the first experience after all, it was clearly better not to get attached. It didn't help much that it seemed as though their captors had neglected to inform his cellmate of even the most basic of information, though it did give some insight into the idea that Ima's level of knowledge hadn't been per the norm. She had been informed of the situation, it seemed, merely to necessitate conversation between the two inmates. He guessed that it was ordered by the women Izuku had met directly after his capture, and though he usually found it difficult to foster hatred for others he found that she was an exception.

It wasn't long before the inclination to kill returned, this time much stronger than the last. It seemed that since his mind now knew what it wanted, it was much more difficult to ignore. With it came the same thoughts, but this time with a cruel twist. With each command he was reminded of the intoxicated feeling that had accompanied a kill, making the idea even more tempting.

At first he had been determined to keep the new cellmate alive as he had failed to do with the last, but eventually he lost hope for the goal when he realized that his mind was intent on repeating the same viscous cycle of need as before. Since he was certain he couldn't stand to see another person die in the same manner as Ima, he had chosen to rid himself of the need early on rather than allow himself to slip back into a more dangerous state. Though the boy had tried to fight back, he really hadn't stood a chance against someone with a quirk, and Izuku tried to consider it a small mercy that at least his death was quick and relatively painless.

As the day continued, yet another person was sent to his room, though he disposed of them even quicker than the last. Though it both disgusted and frightened him, he found it uncomfortably easy to complete the task when he imagined the people as numbers rather than living beings. It was a gruesome method certainly, but also likely the only thing standing between him and insanity. Every time a kill was preformed he told himself that it was for the best, ignoring the reoccurring image of Ima's nearly unrecognizable corpse as it flashed across his consciousness. He was becoming increasingly capable of convincing himself that what had happened to Ima was nothing like what he was doing now, though even his delusions seemed to weigh heavily on his mind.

When what he recognized as night had come and another kill had been made, whoever was overseeing his progress finally repented. No more children were sent inside and he had been able to lay down on his spot on the concrete, waiting for a sleep that wouldn't come. No matter how much time passed in the cell, Izuku was determined to avoid using the bed. The comfort wasn't worth the memories it would bring back to light.

The next day followed in the same manner for the most part. Another day, another parade of faceless, nameless prisoners to send to the slaughter. But then surprisingly enough, the earlier constant entourage of victims disappeared right before the time when Izuku's meals were usually delivered. He wanted to take it as a good sign instead of a bad one, but couldn't help but be pessimistic in light of his new situation.

His suspicions were confirmed when restraints composed of the same translucent energy he had seen in the bubble from before encircled his wrists and ankles, tethering him in place at one edge of the cell. He wasn't sure quite what to expect at the time. Was he being sent to whatever client had been spoken of earlier? Had he angered his captors in some way?

His questions dissolved as soon as a familiar face opened the cell door and entered the room.

The women he had seen earlier, tall, well-postured, and as arrogant as could be with her dark black hair kept in the same tight bun and dark almond eyes looking down on him from behind bright red glasses. The thought came to mind that he'd love to snap those glasses about just as much as he did the neck of their owner.

"Hello Izuku. I see you're still doing as well as ever." There was a glassy mocking air to the women's voice, and it was obvious that the use of his first name was meant to be disrespectful. For the first time since the command was given Izuku was actually eager to follow it. "How are you feeling?"

Izuku couldn't help but think that this was some kind of sick joke. Whether or not the women had been keeping track of his activity, he was sure she already knew the answer to her own question. It was just a matter of degrading him further. Instead of gracing her with a response, he instead grit his teeth and gazed off at a random point to his left.

"Still not speaking are we? I'd love to say I'm not concerned but then I'd be lying. I need to assess your mental state for reasons regarding your sell and accompanying release. The faster you answer the faster I can send you off."

The words were obviously meant to provoke some kind of reaction in Izuku but he had found it hard to consider release since he had learned about the nature of his new lifestyle. Being set free at this point would be even worse than captivity, since outside he would be urged to kill almost anyone he looked at. He couldn't return to school, and there was certainly no way he would let his mother see him like this. Besides, the freedom the women was offering was no doubt conditional. Whoever he was sold to obviously wanted to use him as a weapon which could hardly be better than his current existence.

The women seemed displeased but not at all discouraged. The way she behaved seemed to scream 'one of us is going to cave eventually and it won't be me'. Now Izuku couldn't help himself from imagining her as a bloody stain on the floor.

"Look Izuku, we both know that my promises count as virtually less than crap to you, especially after what I've done, but I'm going to need you to speak for the sake of your classmates if not for yourself."

It took him a moment to process that information. His classmates? Then he remembered. It had only been about five days ago by his count when he had first met with the self proclaimed psych doctor and been told that they had captured his friends as well as himself. He had yet to see any proof, yet the idea still made his heart skip a beat.

"Fine, what do you want?" He croaked, his voice horse from either misuse, tension, or both. The women smirked victoriously before pulling a black pen and pad from her purse and readying them for use.

"I'd like to ask you a few simple questions is all." Even her voice was touched with an air of precocious arrogance. "The first being one I've already asked. How are you feeling?"

Izuku's brows knit inadvertently. The question was as useless as it's answer was likely to be, so he spared no time in answering it. "Like shit. Next question."

The women shook her head, a slight grin on her face. "Try again. And answer in a few more words this time."

"I can't sleep, I can't bring myself to eat without throwing up, and I'm in a perpetual state of wanting to brutally murder everyone I see. In summary I feel like dying." He nearly growled, putting as much venom into the words as he could muster.

This earned him a smug smile and a few hastily scribbled lines in the women's journal. "Wonderful, that actually happens to lead right into our next question. If you feel like dying, then why haven't you yet?"

Once again Izuku felt himself stop to carefully consider the women's words. Why wasn't he dead yet? At this point he really didn't have any reason to continue on. His dreams of being a hero were ruined, he couldn't return to anyone he cared about for hope of hurting them or worse, and he had seven deaths on his conscious to boot. Only a few months ago he had considered jumping off his middle school's roof just after some teasing from Bakugo, so what was stopping him from giving in now? It wasn't as if he hadn't had opportunities with all the kids who had fought back. Many of them would've gladly slit his throat. Yet he hadn't let them. He almost immediately regretted the level of consideration he was giving to the women's question, yet at the same time...

"Maybe I think there's still hope for this condition to be removed." He answered, though he could hear his own dismissal of the idea as soon as it was spoken. Even if he got better, it wouldn't help him forget Ima.

"Please be honest, or I can't promise your peer's safety." The women reminded him, writing in her notebook all the while. Deep seated, cold hatred welled up in Izuku's mind, and then he had the answer.

"If you want honesty then you'll get it. I'm still alive so I can kill you."

There was such a tone of merciless animosity to his voice that even the women across from him seemed to shrink back in fear, her pen dragging uselessly across her page and dropping to the floor before she regained composure.

"T-thank you then. I think that's all I'll be needing for today." The women stammered, her face still colorless as she turned to exit the room. She stalked out of the room, in her hurry forgetting to pick up her fallen pen.

After the door had closed behind her, the bindings around Izuku's limbs faded until he could move again.

Things resumed as normal with another child being sent in, but this time things were a bit different.

He knew the women was watching and he intended to make a display for her. After a much more messy kill than all previous ones neglecting Ima's, Izuku dipped his hands into the resulting blood and flicked it over each of his room's camera lenses.

He knew they would clean them, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was make sure that whoever had put him here would regret being born as soon as he got out.

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait between chapters, I was experiencing a bit of stress over upcoming tests and holidays and didn't really have the time to update until recently.**

 **Thank you to everyone who's stuck with the story so far, you guys are amazing and I'm so glad you're enjoying my work!**

 **Please, please, please remember to comment or follow if possible! My main reward for producing this is your enthusiasm, and It'll really encourage me to get out more chapters quicker if you do! I'd love constructive criticism or a long paragraph of what you liked and didn't, but even a one word comment does wonders. Endless thanks to those of you who've supported in the form of comments so far, you're awesome!**

 **On another note this story is also out on Archive of our own now if any of you prefer reading on that platform as opposed to here, though only the first chapter has been posted so far.**

 **Thanks, and I hope you continue to read my work!**


	7. Chapter 7

**WARNING:**

 **This chapter will contain mentions of self harm and suicide as well as the usual graphic depictions of violence.**

 **If you are uncomfortable with these topics then you are advised not to read.**

 **Thank you.**

* * *

-Chapter 7-

Aizawa Shouta had had one hell of a night, especially considering that it should've been a night off. Instead of scaling pitch black rooftops, trailing criminals of unknown origin, and texting coworkers at ungodly hours of the night, he had been given the perfect opportunity to simply sit at home alone with a microwave dinner before getting in a surprising eight hours of sleep. Fortunately enough however, for once, he hadn't had the good sense to mind his own business.

It had all begun with the so-called "lead" a few of Aizawa's students had shown to him a few days before. The entire thing had been built around some incredibly loose and baseless comment posted on an outdated internet thread, but he had humored the teenagers for the sake of their own well-being rather than his own. Much of class 1-A had neglected sleep, study, and training until they were ensured that at least _some_ development was being made in the Midoriya case, even if it was as flimsy as what they had eventually provided.

Of course Aizawa would be lying to himself if he said that all his interest in the case was based on the whims of the class. As much as he loathed to admit it, he did care for his students, and he couldn't help but blame himself for the entire situation. In theory, things would've gone differently if he had made it to the alleyway on time, if he had watched after the class more vigilantly, if he hadn't planned the exercise in the first place... But more, perhaps, than anyone else, Aizawa Shouta hardly saw the value in dealing in hypotheticals.

He had looked into the web page due to minor curiosity despite his initial disbelief, and surprisingly the results were much more than he could've hoped for in a best case scenario. Whoever the porcupine-quirk-wielder the original poster had mentioned was had a profile on the site, which when checked, had never posted to a traceable thread. Though it did appear, in fact, that the user had been linked on multiple pages in the past, always responding to someone who claimed to "need a guy". The profile itself was fairly empty, with no pictures, names, or id to speak of. Even the username was simply composed of four consecutive x's. Without a warrant, there really wasn't any hard core tracking to be done. After all, Aizawa was hardly a hacker, and even in the case he had been any actions on his part would've been illegal. Luckily, the criminal was sloppy enough that nothing of the sort was ever required.

Since it seemed as though past clients to be had simply private messaged the account, Aizawa assumed it was at least worth a try as a first method. By creating a quick and equally ambiguous account, he had managed to send a simple message which read "I'm interested in hiring". He had practically jumped out of his seat in surprise when he received an almost instantaneous response reading "Okay. Anything you wanna know first?".

The whole situation seemed far too good to be true. Here was the supposed culprit of a highly successful human trafficking scandal offering him information on a silver platter with no prior exchange of info. No one could possibly be _that_ stupid. Of course Aizawa knew from past experience that people could indeed be _that_ stupid.

He took a second to think of the most likely question a real prospective buyer would ask, then typed accordingly. "How much for a job?" seemed accurate enough.

"Depends. What do I have to do?" was also similar enough to the expected.

There was a moments pause. This next question could be risky. "It's sensitive. Is there a location where I can discuss details face to face?"

Aizawa held his breath in anticipation until- "Sure. Sato's Sushi in Shibuya. It's public but everyone there's too busy to ease-drop. It'll have to be 7:00 pm tomorrow."

The pro hero didn't know whether to be relived or appalled. "Fine with me."

"Cool. See ya then."

Aizawa had stepped back from his personal computer, still dazed from the digital conversation. Everything had fallen into place far too easily. Either he was being set up, there was more than one morally dubious Porcupine quirk holder in Japan, or he had just been given everything he needed on a silver platter by the very person who had created the necessity.

After a quick survey of hero accessible citizen quirk census records, Aizawa was once again left in shock by the fact surveys recorded no citizen with the described quirk, meaning that either every holder of a similar ability had also felt the need to go off record, or there really was only one in the country. In either case, the lead was worth chasing.

Aizawa had informed a few coworkers of his plans for safety purposes, but had also emphasized the fact that the lead was likely to bear any change negative or positive on the case at all. Even so, he couldn't help but he a bit hopeful at the thought of the solution to a majority of his current problems being so easy to obtain.

The day of, Aizawa didn't fret too much over disguises or possible public recognition. Unlike most of his colleagues at UA, he found that he was rarely ever noticed when in his civilian attire, which was all the better for him. To be sure he did wear a hoodie, but either way he doubted there would be an issue.

The encounter had gone extremely smoothly as well. Since the criminal's quirk was his identifying trait, it hadn't been difficult to spot him at his table. As expected, the man was a complete airhead. Though extremely arrogant in his abilities, he became casual extremely quickly, and was hardly observant enough to realize the care his companion took in hiding his face. Over the course of half an hour, Aizawa managed to confirm not only the fact that the man in question belonged to the human trafficking group, but it's name as well. The thing he found most amusing, however, had the be the man's closing sentence, spoken after more than one drink.

"See, bet you wouldn't believe it but no one else involved knows I advertise like this. The head honchos call me 'careless', but my finds account for at least thirty percent of our clientele!"

Aizawa had agreed at the time to placate the man, but found it hard to suppress an eye roll. Though he wouldn't doubt the man's combat ability, he certainly shouldn't be let near any potential buyers. After that the two had supposedly parted ways, though Aizawa had trailed him for quite some time afterwards.

It was unclear whether it should be taken as astonishing or evident when the man's car pulled into a parking lot on the wrong side of the city rather than a place of residence. When the culprit entered an unsuspecting looking building a few blocks away, Aizawa had no doubt in his mind that he had found the man's place of work if not the very building where Izuku was being held.

After taking sufficient pictures of license plates and addresses, he had contacted those involved in the case and presented his information. With a bit of recollection it was found that his account of the person in question matched the student's own descriptions to a tee, and before long there were plans for further investigation, and even talk of a full scale attack being launched on the facility.

After all clues were found to point in the direction of the area in question, it was eventually decided that actions should be taken as soon as possible.

Due to the supposed scale of the business in question, it had been decided that any attack would be withheld until the morning of the next day to allow for fore-planning. Assuming that the group still held many of the missing persons on record, especial care would have to be taken to avoid a hostage situation. The attack would have to be quick, precise, and relatively stealthy, meaning that Aizawa was almost first chosen to participate. He didn't mind the trouble at all if it meant finding Midoriya, though he had to admit he wished he'd been a bit more prepared for the night ahead.

He was currently back at the UA dorms, having decided to tell his class about the infiltration beforehand since it likely wouldn't be televised for the sake of discretion. He figured updating them on the case was the least he could do considering that their efforts, regardless of how minute, were what had made the rescue possible. Besides, he had things he had to pick up from his office before meeting up with his coworkers either way.

Surprisingly he had found multiple students awake upon his arrival. From the dark circles and yawns, he could guess that despite the recent reinstatement of a regular school schedule, many had been finding it difficult to sleep while their classmate was in direct peril.

It didn't take much time to assemble everyone in the common room, and from the looks on the students faces when the news was declared few of them minded the interruption of their sleeping schedules. Even Bakugo, who was normally irritable about any unforeseen development, failed to provide a single utterance of complaint. Though he did pose a rather negative interesting question.

"If I were any of you I wouldn't be so excited." He declared in a tone which managed to be both pretentious and melancholy. "A whole week has passed since Deku was caught. Even assuming that he's still in this mystery group's facility, we have no idea what's happened since then. He could be dead, or worse."

The change wasn't immediate, but after a pause the majority of the once upturned faces in the room began to turn crestfallen. While Aizawa himself had considered such a turn of events, it wasn't shocking that the students themselves had neglected to focus on that sort of scenario. Though a good ward to bad thoughts was optimism, the outlook often paired well with falsely held ignorance.

"No." A steady voice from the back of the room asserted. "Midoriya may be kind but he certainly isn't weak. I know he may be injured but I'm certain he isn't dead. He's too strong to let anyone break him regardless of skill."

The owner of the voice stepped forward, revealing himself to be none other than the normally reserved Todoroki. The pronounced look of clarity on his face left no room for argument regarding the statement, though it didn't seem like anyone other than a still straight faced Bakugo was willing to contradict.

The other students seemed to regain their pep, and soon enough, Aizawa was leaving the campus with a surfeit of encouraging remarks and displays of good faith. Still, he couldn't help but feel overwhelmingly negative about the endeavor he was about to undertake. Nothing about this sat right with him, but still... At least there was some hope, he supposed.

* * *

Though the killings had still been extremely difficult for Midoriya Izuku to cope with, he found that an end goal made it all much more bearable, especially since he now knew he'd be leaving the group's captivity sooner rather than later.

Recently someone who Izuku could only assume was the brainwashing-quirk-holder had been sending in subjects with the intent of preservation rather than destruction.

The first such subject had entered the room much more confidently than their predecessors, and instead of going for the weapons rack immediately like most, had tossed a letter across the floor. With no better course of action to take, Izuku had picked up the paper with the intent of reading. The stationary was the very same he had seen strewn across the office of his overseer, and the curt but uniform style of writing would suggest a similar conclusion to it's origins. The letter, phrased in fewer words rather than more, had informed Izuku that if he were to spare the next three children sent, they would be removed from his cell after a period of three hours and allowed to remain alive for an extended period of time in comparison to their predecessors.

Oddly enough Izuku hadn't exactly known how to respond to the letter. On one hand, of course, he felt relieved. Ever since the killings had began, he had been wishing for a way out of their continuation. The action of killing in any capacity was certainly and irrevocably wrong, and he was sure that every person who had entered his cell in the past had possessed cherished human connections, hopes, dreams, and aspirations which were just as valuable, if not more valuable than, his own. But still...

Izuku had begun to realize some time ago that whenever he felt guilt for his actions, it was difficult to picture anyone other than Ima. The thought was disturbing to say the least. Out of tens of dead children, children that _he himself_ had killed, he was only capable of feeling any sort of emotion for one. Not only was the lack of recognition unlike him, but in Izuku's mind it couldn't be read as anything other than unforgivably inequitable. Each face, each name, and each person deserved to be mourned, grieved over, and dwelt on as much as the rest, and as the one who had killed them no matter how willingly it was Izuku's job to ensure that they were.

Soon enough, however, Izuku realized why he had developed such a strong emotional detachment for those that he had no name for other than victims. The more he thought about the past lives of the dead the guiltier he felt, and the guiltier he felt the less motivation drove him to continue on. In a strong moment of clarity, it had occurred to him that the more he allowed the killings to remain in his mind, to fester in consciousness, the less likely he was to retain what semblance of sanity he had left.

The mind that had once been praised for it's empathy and compassion was now set to be destroyed for it's merits, and thus they had receded in the manner of some compulsory defense mechanism. No matter how much Izuku wanted to feel for the nameless corpses he left in his wake, time was making the goal nearly impossible.

And Izuku wasn't quite sure which curse frightened him more. The killings themselves or the monstrous apathy they seemed to construct within him.

One day, fresh after a killing, Izuku had attempted to muster up some sense of regret or remorse for what he'd done, but after coming up blank his theory was confirmed. Almost like the way a person's body was apt to adapt to fit a quirk, Izuku's mindset had adapted to fit his new lifestyle.

In a crazed attempt to feel something, anything, for the lives he had ended, Izuku had taken Ima's knife and laid a solid red gash across him arm. Infuriatingly enough, however, not even the physical pain of the wound had felt real, more like a distant throbbing than the sharp string he'd hoped for. At that point he'd wanted to cry, but tears wouldn't even come to his once exasperatingly tear-prone eyes. He'd felt yet another stab of horror at the realization that the inflicted cut had been deliberately benign rather than fatal. After everything he'd done he _should_ feel remorseful enough to want to die, shouldn't he? Yet still he clung to life like a dull beacon in an impossibly endless storm.

Earlier he had told himself as well as his captor that he'd been remaining alive simply for the sake of revenge, the cruel satisfaction he knew he'd find if he managed to return the pain he'd been forced to suffer tenfold back on it's benefactress. Of course that might as well be the reason. After all, his hatred for the women had only grown more inexorable and fiery with time rather than less, and though he felt loathe to admit he often daydreamed of her demise. The dream, however, lost much of it's draw when he came to the realization that he wanted revenge for himself rather than his casualties.

Once again he was forced to face the hideous truth that the human lives he'd taken, once so invaluable in his thoughts, had turned from existences to numbers.

Though the cutting became a regular practice, it still seemed to only solidify the unachievable nature of the emotions he sought.

Now, as the temporary escape from such a deplorable existence was being offered to him on what was practically a silver platter, he felt nothing but numbness and the silent stir of the still ever present urge to murder. Well actually, those weren't the only emotions.

Though the numbness was awful, Izuku had concluded, the more potent sense he felt upon reading the letter was disappointment.

Izuku might've laughed had the recognition not been so sickening.

The exact point of time when Izuku's command was fulfilled, as his captor had explained, he was supposed to experience an extreme rush of dopamine. He could only conclude that that was the cause of the thrilling burst of happiness he felt during a kill in spite of the grueling disgust which proceeded it. In the short span of a few days, that rush had become the strongest emotion he seemed to be capable of feeling, and no matter what his consciousness might scream, a louder and more primal part of him demanded more of it.

The whole thing was about as dreadful as it was ironic, the thought that he might actually be addicted to inducing death.

He complied with the letter as much to save the three people in question as well as prove to himself that he could, though the process was a bit more difficult than he'd anticipated. He didn't even require his instincts to push him on anymore, and the slow normalization that the action of murder had worn into him almost felt like first nature.

He kept reminding himself that the boy in the cell with him was just as real and important as one of his friends, as important as Ima. This manner of thinking was surprisingly tethering, and Izuku was thrilled by the idea that his friends still held just as potent a force to him as they had before. He was certain that as soon as escape was possible his first action would be to find and free his friends, hopefully without them seeing what he'd become, before he'd set off to kill the dark haired women. Of course a small part of him hoped, at the same time, that the women would be capable of removing her quirk beforehand. She had seemed selfish enough that Izuku could imagine a plethora of painful ways to coerce her into helping him before he ultimately ended her life.

Once he realized the morbidity of that train of thought he had set it aside, but the idea of being free of the quirk as well as the cell was far more than enticing, and if it was possible it wasn't too far off in the horizon.

The attempt on his captor's behalf to control his killing instinct led him to believe that whatever buyer was lined up to collect him planned to do so soon. It wouldn't exactly be a sound business practice to allow a product to exterminate its user soon after purchase.

Though Izuku acquiesced, he couldn't help but be angered by the fact that his actions likely followed the predictions of the dark haired women. He detested the thought that his actions might give her any form of satisfaction, but still tried to ease the resentment with the promise of her future erasure.

Eventually, after the promised nine hours had come and gone, Izuku was once again assaulted by the hazy barriers that had restrained him during his incinerator's brief visit. As expected the restraints were followed by the approach of six fairly threatening looking guards, two of which were sent to lead him out of the cell door by his immobile arms. At the same time he exited the room, he felt a myriad of alien sensations. One was the shock of the hall's unnatural lights on his eyes, something he knew he really should've been prepared for. After spending so long accustomed to the near complete darkness of his room, he feared that looking any luminescent room or surface for an extended time period would be painful for awhile. The other feelings were those he could only attribute to attempted restraints on part of his surveyors. From an onslaught of general ill feelings, Izuku was able to pick out an identical feeling of nausea to that which he had been afflicted with days before.

Whoever was in charge of his transportation was really pulling out all the stops. He didn't know whether to feel proud of his ability to frighten the dark haired women or afraid of himself for the selfsame merit.

Eventually, after entering an elevator and doing quite some walking, the guards halted in front of a door Izuku didn't recognize. It was a large and foreboding structure that looked more ornery than functional. He wasn't sure quite what to expect when the doors opened, but it certainly wasn't this.

As the decorated pieces of wood parted, Izuku found himself staring face to face with Kurogiri, a key player in the League of Villain's recent attack on UA. Izuku felt a knot in his stomach. Now he knew for certain, he may have jumped out of the frying pan but a much more perilous fire was fast approaching.

* * *

Kurogiri hadn't quite known what to expect from Masquerade. As far as other criminal organizations went, his past experiences hadn't exactly been reassuring. But regardless of whatever doubts he had felt before, he couldn't deny that the boy standing in front of him was a far different one from the one he had briefly encountered during the attack on UA.

Besides the obvious change of appearance, there was something obviously darker and more foreboding in his demeanor as well. The boy's unkempt and disheveled hair and clothing may have been attention grabbing, but the teen's most striking feature by far were his eyes.

From what Kurogiri could remember the green haired student's eyes had once been wide, happy and hopeful, displaying determination and excitement in equal turns. Now they seemed to be less animate than a toy's, though far less friendly. The surprise the boy should've felt upon seeing one of his school's rivals mere feet away failed to show on his face, and the cold stare which Kurogiri received felt piercing and somehow murderous. Unlike the vibe of a happy-go-lucky-go-getter Kurogiri had begun to anticipate, he felt as though he was meeting the lifeless glare of a monster. He suspected that whatever the members of masquerade had done to the boy had been as violent as it was evidently effective.

"Midoriya Izuku, would you please step forward and take a seat?"

The man seated at the desk behind kurogiri motioned to a chair by the foot of the room's entrance, his voice managing to feign politeness even in it's forcefulness.

The green haired teen complied, seating himself in a position that suggested he was even less comfortable with the situation than he looked. As he moved he never took his eyes off Kurogiri, his hands poised in tense fists at his sides.

"I can assure you that this is the subject you requested. Midoriya Izuku, male, age fifteen, strength enhancing quirk, and former student of the UA academy for heroes. We've fulfilled our end of the bargain by delivering him to you physically unharmed, still in possession of a quirk, and willing to comply to the set demands. You requested that he be trained to be serviceable and inclined to commit actions which constituted the breaking of the law and which would be great enough in scale to earn him the title of villain despite his age. Both requests have been followed though we must warn you that our programmer took some liberties in achieving this goal. As per the nature of your request we can promise that Midoriya Izuku will be more than eager to perform the act of first degree murder, a crime which when done on a large scale will assure one receives the legal title of villain. He may, however, be difficult to manipulate and control, and it is advised that those in charge of his well being solidify a sure fire form of physical restraint in case of backlash."

Kurogiri studied the boy and found it difficult to doubt anything the man claimed. In a rather twisted way, the Masquerade had held up their end of the deal spectacularly. But at the same time Kurogiri couldn't help but feel a strong pity for the former student known as Midoriya Izuku. He wasn't sure that even Shigaraki could achieve such a look of suffering in someone as the one the boy was currently displaying.

"I certainly believe you." Kurogiri agreed with a nod. "But I'd like to be clear on exactly what manner of backlash you're referring to here."

In truth, Kurogiri was sure he could guess. He did, however, require a bit more stalling. He had expected Toga to have already set off the buildings alarms knowing her insatiable lust for combat, but unfortunately she seemed to be running a bit late.

"Ah, that is... Difficult to say." The man confessed, his voice still smooth despite his indecision. "I'm afraid that telling you more would breach client-provider confidentiality."

"I'm not afraid to say."

Kurogiri turned his head sharply to once again face the boy in his chair. It seemed as though his words had caused him to double over as soon as they left him, however his mouth didn't stop moving regardless.

"If you keep me around I might just end up killing you. They made it so I can't help it. This awful women here has a quirk that does it. Something called command I think."

Kurogiri understood every word of the boy's speech despite the evident touch of pain. He looked to the advertiser for a reaction and was hardly disappointed. The man's face was bright red, mouth reeling in silence.

"Thank you." Kurogiri replied, looking at Midoriya as he did so. "Is there anything else I should be aware of?"

Before Midoriya could move to answer once more, a blaring alarm began to wail across the premise.

"Ah, finally." Kurogiri exclaimed in an even voice. "I'm afraid that's our cue to leave Midoriya."

The boy looked up at Kurogiri in apprehension before suddenly, his transparent bindings began to fade. Soon his focus turned from the villain in front of him to the cuffs around his feet, which he then broke almost effortlessly.

"What is this?!" The man behind the desk demanded incredulously. "You aren't trying to skip out on payment are you?"

Kurogiri nodded his head, his head still turned to face Izuku rather than the marketer. "I'm afraid we didn't exactly have the capitol to follow through on our fees. We do, however, have the force to ensure that it shouldn't be a worry. Trust me Midoriya, I'm certain this arrangement will work out just as well for you as it does for us in the long run. In the mean time, would you mind dispatching this man for me? I'm afraid I'm more of a support unit than a combat one."

The boy just nodded his head, an oddly hopeful smile playing on his face. "Sure. But only if I get something out of the deal. If you let me set the other captives here free and save a particular employee for me, then I'll do whatever you need me to."

Kurogiri was shocked by the easily met demands but couldn't do much other than agree. "Of course. Could you please describe the person to me so my cohorts and I know who to confine?"

Midoriya was grinning now. "I don't know her name but she's about 180.34 cm by my best guess. She has long black hair but it's always tied up from what I know. She should also be wearing a suit and pencil skirt."

"Then consider it done. I will inform the rest of my accompaniments to detain, but spare, the women in question until you've been to see her."

Since there was apparently nothing else to discuss, the boy walked over calmly to the man in question and dispatched him as asked. The event was a bit more gruesome than required but Kurogiri was already seeing how well Midoriya Izuku could fit into his new role.

Afterwards the boy departed from the room in an almost giddy manner, waving at kurogiri as he passed by.

Kurogiri wanted to be puzzled by the whole exchange, but really couldn't risk any more time on such thoughts. He had more villains to transport to the premises after all. No one with a position in Masquerade could be left alive to give others any idea of the origin of Midoriya's new nature, otherwise the overall plan would become immediately less effective, and it was one that he knew Shigaraki was far too excited for to let go to waste.

* * *

Izuku could tell that he was essentially skipping down the halls of The building but really couldn't bring himself to care. Soon enough his captor would be dead and his friends freed, and he didn't really mind whatever happened afterwards, even if he did have to accompany the league of villains in the future. The instant gratification of his daydream scenarios coming true was far too overpowering to think of anything else, and besides he always had the fail safe plan B of simply dying if his reality became too hard to face. Or at least that was what he told himself.

Some of the rooms he passed were occupied by busy League members, though he barely spared them a passing glance as he headed for the elevators. Since the floor in this area was made of wood and the one containing the holding cells concrete, he guessed his destination was the ground floor. He punched in the correct number with a shaking hand before descending.

He wasn't quite sure what he'd do if and when he actually saw his friends. Luckily, the kill from moments before had tided him over quite a bit, but the thought of encountering one of them in his current state was still terrifying. Besides, what would they think once they found out what he's done? At the very least they'd dislike the fact that he was working with villains to set them free, and the promise he'd made to return afterwards.

Of coarse he still didn't know for sure if it was a promise he planned on upholding.

When the elevator opened with an encouraging ding, Izuku was met with familiar surroundings.

Cells were lined up on either side of the hall, each with an identifying document pasted crudely to the door.

Izuku tackled the problem of opening the doors as best as he could, by using a low percentage of his quirk to blow them off their hinges. Luckily it seemed as though all of the lower floor guards had been called elsewhere when the alarm sounded, leaving him to his work.

When children poured out of the cells, they looked at him not with gratitude or excitement as he'd hoped but rather fear. Most ran for the stairs or elevators immediately after their escapes, though a few lingered to stare. Izuku didn't want to acknowledge those terrified looks, didn't want to think about who they were directed at. He hoped he just needed a good shower, but was uncannily sure that it was something else about him that sent the kids running.

Soon enough, Izuku had passed through the entirety of the floor with no sign of a familiar face on a door.

 _Is there another floor with holding cells? Or was I lied to?_

Izuku was glad that he knew the truth to be the latter. It gave him yet another reason to bash in the brunette women's skull.

He made his way quickly back up the stair, but was halted unexpectedly when he saw Himiko Toga waiting at the top of the first flight.

"Hey Izu-kun!" She greeted nonchalantly. "You've gotta go see that women before Dabi burns this place to the ground so I suggest you come soon!"

The blonde took off down an adjacent hallway, leaving Izuku with no option but to follow.

He found her waiting on rocking heels in front of one of the unmarked rooms, blood splattered across her peach sweater.

"Here she is, I caught her for you! She was just putting some papers into a briefcase and I locked the door on her. Have fun!"

Izuku ignored the girl's blatantly cheerful commentary and took a step into the room. Sure enough there the women was, cowering behind an upturned chair. Cowardice, sadism, and disregard for life all in one package. It seemed that Izuku wasn't going to find any shortage of disgusting qualities here, a fact he didn't mind at all.

"Look, I know exactly what you're thinking, and I can assure you you'll find no benefits in killing me!" The desperation in the women's voice gave it a frantic quality, one which wasn't helped by her harried breathing. "There's absolutely nothing to be gained for you here!"

Izuku narrowed his eyes, taking a step closer to the women. She backed away in turn.

"Fine then. Tell me the benefits of keeping you alive, because right now I'm not hearing a compelling argument." His words came out in a growl, something he'd thought himself previously incapable of.

The women flinched back at his words, but began rambling on nonetheless. "I am a highly accomplished mental programmer as well as a decorated psychologist! I promise you I can help whatever group you're joining immeasurably! I can provide-"

"No."

Izuku cut the women off mid sentence, shocking her into silence. "I don't care about the league. I want to know how you can help _me_." The last word came out a bit more assured than he'd meant it to be but it was effective regardless.

"Y-you?" She stammered, her voice quavering. She scooted back a bit further, legs shaking. "Well there isn't much I could do for you specifically right now but I'm sure-"

Izuku cut her off again, this time intending to use authority in his voice. "Stop dancing around the subject. Can you or can't you remove the effects of your quirks? And don't lie. I'll know."

It was a bluff, but the answer was obviously honest. "No. No, I cannot. I've never been able to."

Now, after all the times spent praying for some emotion, Izuku began to feel himself cry. As much as he had told himself he was prepared for this, this was not what was supposed to happen. He was meant to remove the quirk. He wasn't meant to spend the rest of his life in a vicious cycle of killing and despair. He had been so close to being a hero. So close to impressing the people he looked up to, to making meaningful friends, to making a difference in the world. And now it was gone. Just like that.

Before he even knew what he was doing Izuku had rushed forward and grabbed the women by the throat, pulling her up off the ground. The ensuing scream was deafening, but Himiko didn't come in to check on him so he supposed it was fine.

"You'd better rethink that answer." He demanded, his words steady despite the hot tears pouring down his face. "You get three minutes."

The women clawed at his hands but even her generously long and sharp manicured nails didn't cause any feeling. He was sure he was being cut but it didn't matter. After a few moments of struggling the women finally stopped, turning her large, panicked eyes to look down at his face. "If you kill me here, then you really will be a villain you know." She managed to utter.

"Wrong answer. At this point I already am, and I'm not even sure I can bring myself to care." Izuku threw the women against the wall as hard as he could, satisfied by the sound of breaking bones. He felt the tell-tale rush that meant a kill had been performed, and took a few minutes to savor the feeling before exiting the way he'd entered.

Toga followed carelessly behind him like a lost puppy, and he could feel her ogling at the blood splatters on his uniform. He simply ignored her as she joined him in the elevator, pressing a button he remembered to belong to Kurogiri's floor.

He passed numerous corpses on his walk, but failed to notice that a large fraction of them belonged to the children he'd previously set free, due to the fact that he was either too absorbed in thought or too deep in his autopilot to look. By the time he reached Kurogiri's room it seemed as though all the villains had vacated the premises except for a disgruntled looking Dabi and the portal manipulating villain himself.

"So, you've decided to enlist." Kurogiri stated. "A choice you won't regret. If you would join Miss Himiko in returning to base I would be most appreciative. We have a bit of work to finish up here before we go."

Izuku nodded numbly, entering the portal without argument, a delighted Toga bounding in behind him. He only caught a whiff of smoke before the darkness closed around him.

* * *

"Um hey, Mr. Suzuki?" The police officer muttered urgently into his microphone, attempting to hopefully catch the attention of his boss back at base.

"Yes, what's so important you had to interrupt my meeting? We have professional heroes here to help."

The underling ignored the blatant annoyance in superior's tone, continuing on with his report. "You told us to monitor all entrances to the building in question and warn you, but... This isn't exactly a traceable entrance or exit."

A loud sigh traveled over the phone, followed by a question. "Fine then. If it's not someone entering or leaving the building then what is it?"

The covert officer nervously wrung his hands together, knowing that his next sentence was likely to anger his correspondent.

"Well you see... Based on the amount of smoke coming up from the building in question it seems to have spontaneously caught fire. Despite this however, no one is visibly exiting the premise."

The groan that ensued afterwards confirmed the lower officer's theory.

"Well my luck's shit. Guess I've gotta tell these heroes to call off their mission. It's really too bad that this lead turned fake. I heard it had something to do with all those missing kids."

Despite the lack of visual communication between the two, the officer on site began to nod his head.

"Yeah, it's a real shame for sure."

* * *

 **I am so immeasurably sorry for the long wait, but chapter seven is finally out and ready for your viewing!**

 **In order to apologize somewhat for the long absence of output, this chapter is about twice as long as one of my regular updates.**

 **I'm especially sorry if any of the actions taken by characters in this chapter seemed overdone or OOC, once again please inform me if so. The same goes for poor grammar or plot, as long as the criticism is constructive it's welcome!**

 **Hopefully this chapter at least partially answers the question of how depressing I plan to make this story in nature. I can't promise a happy or sad ending quite yet but I can assure you that there'll be plenty of angst in between.**

 **Thank you all so much for reading, I can't believe that I've hit 80 followers! You're amazing, especially those of you who leave comments!**


	8. Chapter 8

In retrospect, Izuku wasn't quite sure why he'd decided to uphold his promise to the League.

He had considered numerous possibilities already since stepping out of the portal, all of them making at least a decent amount of sense.

The first was the most rational. The building was about to be burnt down and was infested with villains besides, so it wasn't practical to stay or defy an enemy with an obvious advantage both numerically and strategically. Though he could've slipped away unnoticed before his visit downstairs, he'd felt the trip necessary enough not to feel any regrets in taking it. Afterwards he'd been closely watched by Toga, and though he would've gladly fought her she likely would've been quickly backed by her accomplices.

The second was still understandable. He'd been shocked and dazed based on the events of the day, too much so to think in a levelheaded manner when presented with a difficult ultimatum. After all, he had killed someone a little less than ten minutes before departure. No one could've judged him for being a bit out of things. The murder on the other hand... Well he'd rather not think about that.

The third, and last, possibility somehow managed to be the least intelligent yet most likely option of the three. In this line of thinking, knowing he had nowhere to go Izuku had made the choice to ally himself with someone, anyone, rather than go alone to face the trials he knew were in his near future. Without someone's help or guidance, he knew he'd end up on the streets, running the risk of eventually meeting with someone from his old life and revealing what he'd become. There was also the concern of what he'd do out in the world unsheltered. The only path he could really see himself going in from this point was that of a serial killer, which was somehow even more horrifying than being a villain. At least when he was with the league, he'd have some direction or purpose. Besides, Kurogiri had seemed willing enough to negotiate back at the facility, with any hope Izuku would be able to talk the group out of pitting him against someone from school, or god forbid All Might.

That certainly wasn't a pleasant thought.

Izuku had wondered why the League of Villains wanted him specifically among the choice of all his classmates, and the strongest argument he could muster was that they had realized he had come to inherit one for all.

Some time ago when the villains had kidnapped Bakugo, the thinking behind it had been a bit more obvious. He had explosive temper, excessive pride, and a fairly masterful control of his powers, so it stood to reason that he would make a good, if not willing, criminal.

Izuku, however, possessed neither of those traits. His ability to control his quirk was volatile at best, and he was perhaps the most mild of all his classmates. Or, he _had_ been he supposed. Either way it didn't make much sense as to why he of all candidates would be chosen to make a mockery of UA. Until you factored in his possible connection to All Might.

Seeing Izuku turned sides would likely not only ruin the reputation of the heroes involved with his schools, but add insult to injury for a now relatively powerless symbol of peace.

Izuku had already felt responsible for being a less than ideal successor, especially considering all the more worthy people he knew had been proposed. Now more than ever he was positive that his elevation of status had been a complete mistake. Now he was entirely unfit to carry any heroic title, much less that of his idol, but the fear of being a quirkless nobody again was too strong to allow Izuku to admit he needed to find a new recipient for the power.

Izuku found his actions driven by a selfish purpose, and still he was unable to shake them. It wasn't that he had been entirely selfless before by any means, but at least he had been able to do what was right for those he cared about. Now he wasn't even capable of that.

As soon as he'd emerged, he found himself in a warehouse not unlike the one that had been wrecked in the attempt to save Bakugo. It was large enough that Izuku couldn't see the walls clearly, and the only light that shone in was through gaping rectangular windows perched just below the high ceiling. Industrial sized metal shelves were lined up at intervals across the floor, and a catwalk hung eerily above. The whole place gave off a very ominous feel, especially since the moon outside cast such long shadows on the building's contents.

Izuku was a bit startled to realize that this was his first time seeing the sky, through windows or no, in at least a week. He desperately wanted to walk outside to feel the fresh air, but thought better of it when he heard Toga step out of the opening behind him.

"Hello again Izu-kun!" She greeted, stretching out a hand for a casual wave. "Welcome to headquarters! For now at least. We use this complex for meetings mostly, but I'm sure that you'll be staying here somewhere now that you've joined up!"

Izuku was once again struck by the girl's casual use of a nickname when referring to him, especially since they'd only just been acquainted for the first time off the battlefield. While he would've loved to contradict her, he was a bit too put off by the bloody knives he carried to risk irritating her.

"Uh, thanks." He hesitated. "Its... Nice."

The girl giggled in response. "Yeah, I've always thought it was a bit of a dump but I'd never say it around Shigaraki if I were you. I guess you might as well though since something you do's bound to set him off anyways."

Izuku shuddered a bit at the thought of seeing the hand clad villain. While Kurogiri seemed reasonable enough and Toga at least held a bit of an odd fondness for him, Shigaraki was a complete wild card. In all of Izuku's past meetings with the man he had come across as more than a bit unhinged, and it had seemed as though he hated him almost as much as he hated All Might. Which was hardly shocking considering what they might now know.

Toga seemed to take Izuku's silence as an opportunity to walk away, though she stopped to perch herself atop a nearby crate.

"The other guys should be back here soon. And by the other guys I just mean Dabi and Kurogiri. The rest of the people we sent out were just temporary muscle, so they'll be sent somewhere else." She remarked. "Then you'll probably get the full rundown. Oh! And before I forget to mention you're not allowed to leave. I guess it was probably pretty obvious already but we have security cameras and orders to keep you in. If you try to get away, we hunt you down. But, if you don't try to leave like a good employee, you get special privileges! If Shigaraki gets it in his head that we can trust you, you might even get to go places by yourself eventually!"

Izuku could feel the blood drain from his face but he nodded anyways. Freedom might be close in physicality but in truth he was still nothing more than a trapped rat.

"Don't look so down about it!" Toga encouraged, that ever present cheerful edge to her voice. "I promise most of us here don't bite, and even then it's only the good guys."

It felt as though the last statement was almost a direct attack on Izuku, but he grinned if only to shut her up.

"Thanks." He quipped, this time coating his voice with a bit of false warmth. "I'm sure I'll be fine then."

Though the line had been a bit difficult to deliver, it seemed to satisfy the blonde, who began to focus on wiping her knives clean rather than making small talk with her prisoner.

Izuku, who was quite comfortable with the ground at this point, sat on the floor rather than joining his companion on a crate, leaning up against a pillar for a bit of support. With nothing else to do, he pulled out Ima's knife and studied it in his hands. Unlike Toga's weapons the blade was fairly small, boasting a grip small enough to fit the hands of a child but a reach long enough to ensure it could still do damage. Izuku was a bit proud to still feel a deep sense of remorse when he looked at it, though it wasn't quite enough to bring tears to his eyes.

He was shaken from his thoughts by the echoing sound of heavy shoes on concrete, and swiftly slid his sole belonging back into his pocket before turning his head to view the new visitors.

Though Dabi had entered the room first Kurogiri was not far behind. Izuku couldn't help but feel the urge to sprint away as both of the criminal's eyes focused on him from the center of the room.

Unsure of what to do, Izuku simply rose and began to walk over, stopping a yard or so in front of the two new arrivals. Toga quickly followed, walking with an oddly lithe grace before joining the others adjacent to the green haired boy.

"Firstly I'd like to thank you for coming along so politely." Kurogiri addressed. "My sincerest apologies for the brutal methods which we used to procure you, you must understand it was necessary for your freedom."

"My freedom, of course." Izuku muttered sarcastically, having regained some of his confidence after thinking back to his time in entrapment. "Because as Toga was nice enough to inform me, I'm not actually at leisure to leave am I?"

Though Kurogiri had the decency to look taken aback, his two companions had much more amused expressions on their faces.

"I suppose I should apologize for that as well. I'm afraid that what you've been told is true, though it doesn't have to be forever. We'd certainly like to build this alliance on trust and mutual benefit rather than force, but if you insist on being stubborn we may need to resort to more unaccommodating measures. Hopefully, however, we can come to an agreement to your liking on what exactly you'll be doing as a member here, and then things won't be as tense."

"Can we work it out now then? I'd like to get this out of the way soon if I can." Izuku declared, crossing his arms. "It shouldn't take long if you're half as competent as you'd like me to believe."

Toga let out a small giggle, and Dabi gave Kurogiri a look that could only be read as 'can you believe this kid?'.

The older villain ignored both and simply continued with his negotiations. "Yes, that would probably be best. What would you like to know first? Our expectations for you or your living arrangements?"

"Expectations if that means you tell me what my job'll be." Izuku retorted, maintaining the same overconfident air as before.

"Ah, yes. Well your duties here will be divided into parts proportionate to your time spent here. First we'd like to solidify your public status as a high profile villain in our service, meaning that you'll need to commit a crime great enough to be televised with enough substantial evidence to prove you were the culprit. We'd prefer that this statement has something to do with heroes, though it doesn't need to be anyone high profile. I was told that you would be more than willing to kill on command?"

"Y-yeah." Izuku choked, putting a hand against Ima's knife through the fabric of his pocket. "Actually there's a bit more you should know about that I guess. I sort of have to kill someone every twenty four hour period. Well, technically it's more like a seventy two hour period I think? But if you want me to be all there then Twenty four is best. I'd prefer it at least."

Though Dabi looked fairly disbelieving at the notion, Kurogiri nodded thoughtfully.

"That can certainly be done." He assured, never taking his eyes off Izuku's. "But once again if you're going to participate in a kill, we'd prefer if it were heroes. I'm certain you have some that you've never liked? Some whose ideals that don't adhere to yours? These two idolize Stain, and I've heard he's even fairly popular among those of a civilian nature. If it would be easier for you, I'm sure you could take up a similar mantle?"

Once upon a time, the idea of imitating Stain would've disgusted the green haired teenager, but now he wasn't so sure. If he had to kill then he could make something good of it, for others if not himself. It was no secret that for every admirable hero there were two iniquitous ones, and Izuku himself had seen that in the pro hero Endeavor. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he took a similar stance, especially if it helped make the world a better place, even in such a twisted way.

"Fine. I agree to your current terms." He begrudgingly affirmed. "So what about my living arrangements then?"

"Well considering the space available, we have a few different options open to you." Kurogiri began in an even tone. "While many of our members have homes outside of our property, you are not one such case. Accordingly we will house you somewhere here, where we have cameras and staff to keep tabs on you."

Izuku rolled his eyes but the others hardly seemed phased.

"Our more elite members have rooms on the premise, and we could arrange one for you as well. You would, however, be in the same hall as those you see here as well as Shigaraki, which I'm afraid might make you a bit more reluctant to take up such an offer."

Izuku nodded. "Full offense but I'd rather not. You might as well mark that one off the list and move on."

Kurogiri kept talking smoothly as if uninterrupted. "We could allow you to sleep here in the main warehouse. Though it isn't the most comforting of places it does have a bathroom as well as a loft area where you could sleep uninterrupted. We are using it now for your induction of course, but otherwise we usually only come here to store things. You'd be far away from most of us for the majority of your day. Then there's also our third opt-"

"No, here is fine." Izuku interjected rudely. "Where's this loft area?"

Toga, being the most willing of the group, was sent to tour Izuku around the building. Though he had free reign of most of the place, he was advised to stay away from certain areas as well as told the dos and don'ts for dealing with other members. There was a little bit too much information to intake if Izuku was being completely honest, and at one point he began to speculate that Toga talked simply to hear her own voice.

He was beyond ecstatic when the two finally stopped at a loft area located among the warehouse's crossing catwalks and was told it would serve as the closest thing he got to a room. Nestled between one corner and a window, the area was a cozy square of functionally lit space. On the grated floor sat a few upturned crates which had been fashioned into a rectangle long and wide enough to serve as a sort of makeshift bed.

"No one was really sure where you'd wanna stay so I just sorta prepped every option a bit." Toga explained, pointing to the boxes. "I'll go get your blankets and pillows and stuff if you wait a minute."

Izuku would've been grateful for the girl's evident care if circumstances hadn't been what they were.

After a few minutes of patient waiting, Toga returned with a sleeping mat, a comforter, and a small pillow.

"This should be enough I think." She declared, dropping the contents of her arms on the 'bed'. "Is there anything else you want before I go? I've gotta sleep too at some point."

In a turn of thought that would've ordinarily been unlike him, Izuku considered coming up with something to send her off for just to keep her up, but in the process realized that there were a few things he actually did need.

"If you've got some shampoo, a change of clothes in my size, a towel, a pen, and a notebook, then I'd love to have them." He told her as he arranged his pillow and blanket.

"Yeah maybe. What size shirt are you?"

After a bit of communication, Toga returned with slightly too big clothing, a notebook and pen, a worn towel, and a container of half used two in one shampoo and conditioner. Izuku thanked her and waited for her footsteps to disappear from his range of hearing before heading downstairs to the warehouse's bathroom.

Though the shower was crude and obviously not well maintained, Izuku was able to rinse off most of his collected blood and grime semi-hot water before changing into his new clothes. Despite the wear and tear he cleaned his suit in the sink as best he could, though it wasn't exactly shocking that the bloodstains refused to disappear. He supposed he have to ask someone for a replacement soon, though the idea was bittersweet.

After he had finished as completely as he was probably ever going to, he gathered up his things and returned to the loft, taking one more box from downstairs with him to function as a nightstand.

After he had arranged everything to his liking, he tentatively laid down on the makeshift bed, finding it surprisingly soft. On second thought though, he concluded that that might've been more of a byproduct of his past sleeping arrangements rather than a testament to the structure's luxury.

Izuku picked up the notebook, recognizing the brand and style as the same type of composition book he'd used during his days in middle school. Instead of making him feel better the memory only served to irritate him, so he flipped hurriedly past the cover onto the book's first lined page. His next movement was even more familiar yet somehow less jarring.

Izuku clicked the black ink pen he'd been given, and after a few test scribbles began to scrawl out a list of names. If his memory served correctly then he was writing the names in a specific order, from lowest ranked to highest. He didn't stop until every hero who failed to uphold the values they should by his recollection was written in plain bold print across a corresponding numbered line. Once the table of contents was ready he turned to the first page and began to note down everything he remembered about it's hero, muttering quietly to himself as he did.

Once he was done he lifted his pen from the page to find it hovering over a surprisingly condensed wall of text. "Guess I remember more than I thought I would." Izuku stated to no one in particular, studying his notes. "Well then I guess whenever they need me to take down my first target I'll be ready."

He set the book on the crate beside his face, sending it one last look of disdain before turning to face the window.

 _It's okay._ He thought to himself as he stared out at the moon. _It's completely fine. These aren't innocents I'm planning to dispose of. They're heroes. They'll put up a good fight and probably kill me. I won't have to have any more deaths on my conscience then. And the league of villains won't be able to use me for anything else either._

At the thought of deaths, Izuku picked up Ima's knife once more in a quick, almost involuntary motion.

As blood welled up on his arm, he twisted it against the light, stretching it out far enough that it fell on the grated floor rather than his make shift sheets.

 _I'll be dead and gone and won't have to deal with this stupid infinite nothingness ever again._

* * *

 **It seems that now that Summers started, updates should be coming out a lot faster as promised!**

 **Though I don't want to pressure anyone to leave comments or give feedback, the complete lack of reviews on the last chapter seemed to indicate that it was lacking a bit in quality. If you have any issues with the direction of the story don't be afraid to voice them! As I've stated previously criticism is a really good motivator for both change and content output, so don't hesitate to send it in.**

 **I hope everyone enjoyed this update, and thank you all for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

-Chapter 9-

Just as they had during Izuku's first imprisonment, things eventually settled into a predictable, though much less rigorous, schedule.

On his first day he was woken up at sometime around eight in the morning for the purpose of demonstrating his command. Unlike Izuku's past captors, Kurogiri seemed to take an especial interest in the order's nature and limitations.

As an experiment, Izuku had been taken out to a courtyard and told to kill a pigeon perched nearby. By Kurogiri's guess, the women's command had been vague enough to allow the death of animals as well, though the green haired boy was led to think a bit differently. Whether by merit of the conditioning he'd received or the intentions behind the women's words, killing nonhuman organisms failed to provide the same closure and rush that Izuku would normally feel otherwise.

Though Izuku had wanted to feel disappointed by the vain efforts, the outcome of the test had hardly surprised him. The quirk he now lived with had managed to become less of a peculiarity and more of a way of life with passing time, and after the letdown during the breakout the day before he had come to think that desires to change this unfortunate status quo were doomed to fail.

Regardless though Izuku still had to reset his command's internal clock, and he told his companion as much. Soon after the mist Villain had somehow located and procured a sedated living person, allowing Izuku to finish the job in whatever way he thought best.

The teenager was granted a surprising amount of freedom given his situation, but hardly found it rewarding. The only engagements that were set in stone were the morning killings and midday training sessions, the latter a shocking addition to Izuku as well as a few other of the League's constituents.

Around noon, a bit after lunch, Izuku would be called to a fairly open space outside along with another, seemingly random, villain. From there Kurogiri would monitor and maintain practice fights between the two, giving Izuku pointers and advice as he fought.

Though Izuku would've liked to be able to admit that the sessions did nothing to improve his skills, he knew he would've been lying. Over the course of just two days he could feel drastic improvement from the fighting style he had practiced previously, likely due to the fact that he now had a private teacher with an evident reserve of time to devote. The variety of opponents also served to sharpen Izuku's tactical mind, pushing him to create different strategies and fighting styles based on the offensive or defensive leaning of an enemy.

While Kurogiri technically oversaw the training sessions, it wasn't unusual at all for another regular affiliate to sit in and give their two cents, and after awhile Izuku found out each main villain's strengths and weaknesses based on what combat tips they best delivered. Toga was surprisingly analytical and technique focused while Dabi was an expert on controlling and rationing power. Even Twice had helpful commentary in the form of feints, distractions, and misdirection.

Even when the consultation was hidden in the form of sarcasm or rude jabs, it was difficult not to see some merit in all the information his new teachers had to offer. While Izuku missed the social and often formal structure of UA, the level of attention he received with his skills under Kurogiri was likely a much faster path to combat excellence, not to mention that his other studies were being neglected in favor of physical training.

Izuku supposed that the purpose of the classes was to improve his chances of taking down a hero when the time came, but was far too bored with the rest of his day to refuse. When he wasn't practice brawling he was confined back into the warehouse, a place where there was little more to do than write and occasionally converse with Toga, the latter being a pastime he was hardly fond of.

Like with all her peers, Toga held a somewhat morbid fascination for the boy and his abilities. Though it didn't seem to be public knowledge that Izuku's quirk stemmed from All Might's, this didn't prevent an onslaught of villains who thought his strength was either cool or fascinating. Combined with his newfound murderous intent, there were practically people lined up out the doors to watch Izuku's daily slaughter, some admiring his skills and a smaller group of more morally grey others protesting the ritual for it's failure to uphold the ideals of one idol or another. By the end of the week Izuku began to feel like he had as many enemies as he did friends among the new crowd, and he wasn't quite sure how to take it.

The only person who consistently failed to take an interest in the former hero-in-training's actions was Shigaraki Tomura. The few times that the two had met had been tense, silent, and most often the fault of coincidence rather than planning. From the glares that Izuku received from him in passing he guessed it was likely to remain that way.

Though Izuku was hardly on casual terms with anyone in the alliance it felt as though Tomura disliked him most of all. The single time the two had exchanged words had resulted in the disintegration of the top layer of Izuku's shoulder in response to a rude comment, and the experience wasn't something he wanted to repeat.

While providing bandages for the wound Kurogiri had assured Izuku that Tomura only disliked him due to his former status as a student of UA, to which the other had simply responded that he didn't care.

Izuku certainly wasn't there to make friends, least of all with his past nemesis. He barely tolerated Toga as it was, so it would only be increasingly awkward if anyone else decided to act cordially.

Though Izuku had thought about escape more than once, it wasn't a desire he had ever acted on. Even ruling out the possibility of being jumped by a villain or caught on camera, he found it impossible to think of anywhere to run to in the case that he did make it outside. Home and school were hardly options, and he didn't have the money to pay for a meal much less a hotel room. Besides, now that he knew for certain that humans were the only possible way to reset the women's quirk, he didn't like the idea of being anywhere without a sure source of fodder. Though Kurogiri had informed him that he would have to reveal his new status to the public at some point, he'd rather have a place to hide afterwards in the hopefully unlikely event that he didn't die on the job.

He had toyed a bit with the notion of fighting the League as well, but ultimately decided to abandon the thought. It was unlikely that Izuku would be able to fight off so many experienced criminal at once, and after all the trouble they'd gone through to acquire him it wasn't likely that he'd be killed. The best he could expect was a greater removal of freedom and bargaining, something he wasn't ready to invoke.

After a few days had passed, Izuku had grown restless in captivity. Despite his initial desire to prolong an encounter with a hero for as long as possible, he began to feel trapped enough that he would do almost anything for a trip outside, no matter how short. When more time went by with no talk of a sendoff, curiosity drove him to finally talk to Kurogiri on the matter.

Having posed the question before a training session, the only time the two really saw each other, Izuku received the answer in a quick but precise manner. Apparently there were multiple rational reasons to withhold the teenager's first villain debut, though he found it difficult not to be annoyed as they were addressed.

Firstly though Izuku's new suit was in the making it still had yet to be completed. Similarly to most things in his current life, he'd been given very little input regarding it's inevitable redesign. He was aware that new features were being added but wasn't quite sure what they were, though the secrecy made him suspect the installation of a tracking device of some kind was involved. Eventually it had been said that the design of his new costume was likely to mimic or at least echo the old one for easier identification, which only made sense since they had confiscated the original under the guise of replicating measurements.

Secondly Kurogiri failed to believe that Izuku was ready for an exploit of a professional magnitude at his current level of quirk mastery. Even if no one particularly cared for his well being, he was still a resource the villains weren't willing to waste. Much to Izuku's dismay it seemed as though dying in the line of fire might be more difficult than anticipated.

Lastly there was the issue of trust. Naturally Izuku had done nothing to hide his distaste for the others, so it was no secret that he would desert if given a secure opportunity. Kurogiri had been speaking to him with false courtesy over the course his stay in an attempt to lessen his hatred for the group, and though Izuku usually responded in kind it was more of a facade than anything. Then there was always the planned suicide attempt, but he honestly hoped that no one had guessed his plot to throw his first fight yet at the very least.

However the debut went down it was obvious that Izuku was expected to leave a lasting impression, and no one thought he could in his current state.

Begrudgingly, Izuku had questioned his teacher on what he would need to do to speed up the process, though the answer was much less than satisfying. According to Kurogiri, all executive decisions were ultimately made by Shigaraki, meaning that there simply wasn't much that he could do but wait.

Even with the minor setback Izuku tried not to be deterred. With nothing much else to do he threw himself into training more so than he had previously, reserving pages in the back of his composition book to jot down progress and improvements he hoped to implement in the future. It was oddly satisfying to line up each weakness he found in his combat style and cross it off along with the arrival of it's amendment.

Sometimes the distractions of the present were effective enough that Izuku found himself forgetting the past. Though he still set time aside to keeping Ima's memory alive, he found himself dwelling on her and his classmates less and less during his daily activities. While this certainly upset him some, he was beginning to think that it all might be for the best.

He was starting to think that there was no need to focus on the things he couldn't change, especially when they were accompanied by such harsh emotions, or rather lack thereof. Remembrance without guilt only served to make him feel empty, and it didn't seem as though the guilt would be arriving anytime soon. Besides, in what he predicted to be a week or so it wouldn't matter anymore anyways.

A day or so after his inquiry, things began to change around the facility. The range in which Izuku was allowed to occupy grew, and he soon found that even his curfew had lifted by a considerable amount.

Unsure of whether or not the new freedom was a test, Izuku had been tentative in his explorations at first. Though the fenced perimeter of the compound was only barely visible from the warehouse and training grounds, he preferred to stick close rather than wander despite his proclaimed freedom of range. After awhile however, he began to take walks closer and closer to the other side.

Once he had even gotten close enough to the barrier to view a street sign across from the gates, something he truly couldn't believe the villains had overlooked with their location being such a liability. He ended up deciding that the placement of his newly available walking path was intentional, a small show on his captor's end to display the faith they were willing to put in him if given the chance. It read a bit like a child's invitation to join a supposedly secret club, and he couldn't help but feel a bit insulted despite himself.

Earlier he had drawn the line at being friendly with the others, but if that was what it took to get away as soon as possible then he figured he'd need to set the bar even lower.

Lunch, which Izuku had previously treated as a private affair, suddenly switched to a social event. Though he tried to make his rounds with everyone besides Shigaraki, he eventually found a comfortable balance eating with Toga and Dabi.

While the two were an unlikely pair Dabi seemed to be amused by Toga's antics while she was entertained by his snarky remarks in kind. When Izuku sat with them he hardly felt the need to contribute, as their interactions were entertaining enough on their own, but forced himself to for the sake of his end goal.

Even though he found his comments met with skeptical looks from the fire villain in the beginning, Toga's immediate acceptance of the new guest eventually won out. Though he had to alter his bearing a bit, Izuku became an almost natural addition to the duo. By playing mediator between the two during arguments and providing intellectual insight on points of interest, he made the trio less volatile as well as more prone to reason, his recently adopted realism creating a bridge between Dabi's pessimism and Toga's optimism.

Of course every time Izuku began to enjoy the interactions, he had to remind himself that it was all an act. The people he was socializing with were coldblooded killers, the worst of society. But even so they had human traits, and no one was entirely bad or good no matter how things might seem on the surface. There were things to admire along with the things to despise, and sometimes the two went hand in hand. Still, it was easy not to get too attached to the others.

Until one night at least.

Some time after dinner, Izuku had been engrossed in noting down the counter to a recent blunder on the practice field only to be interrupted by the arrival of Toga. While it wasn't exactly odd to see her visiting the warehouse, her timing was a bit odd, not to mention the way she was dressed. The blond, who usually stuck to a somewhat fashionable pastel style during her off time, was currently wearing a wide beaked baseball cap and loose navy hoodie.

Before Izuku could question the nature of the encounter aloud the girl strode over and plopped down on the floor near his bed, opening the duffel bag she carried to reveal a similarly shady set of clothing inside. Without hesitation she bundled up the outfit and tossed it to other teenager, standing up and kicking the empty bag to the side afterwards.

"Go downstairs and change. Dabis waiting outside with the car by the rear gate, so be quick or he might decide to leave you behind!" She commanded, ignoring Izuku's obvious confusion as she turned to leave.

"Wait a second! What's going on?" He called back, but his words were only met with the receding sound of shoes on metal.

Though perplexed Izuku figured that he'd rather do as Toga said than be left in the dark about whatever the pair was planning. At the very least whatever it was was bound to be entertaining.

After heading down to the bathroom to change and brush his hair, Izuku walked out to the gate as instructed. Just as promised, Toga and Dabi were on the outside standing beside a fairly beat up looking car, the former of whom was waving erratically in his direction.

"Hey Izu-kun!" She exclaimed, a bright, somewhat creepy grin displayed on her face. "Hop the fence and we'll get going right away!"

"What- No!" He retorted, glancing over his shoulder at a camera attached to wall behind him. "You know I'm not supposed to leave! If I do Shigaraki will..."

Come to think of it Izuku wasn't quite sure what Shigaraki would do in the case he left, but he'd really rather not risk it.

"Well he can't do much if he never finds out." Dabi remarked bluntly. "I'm the one who's supposed to be looking out for you today, and I'm not going to tell. But hey, if you still don't think you have the balls we might as well just go to Shinjuku by ourselves."

Izuku was stunned into silence. It seemed too out of place for these two to be inviting him to do anything recreational, much less to hang around a popular nightlife hot spot. While he had admittedly been bored by his new monotonous life style he wasn't sure he even deserved to enjoy himself, and he definitely didn't want to run the risk of being caught. But still...

"What exactly would we be doing if I were to come?" He inquired, trying to keep his voice as disinterested as he could.

"I dunno. Depends on what you wanna do I guess." Toga replied. "I like karaoke so I thought maybe that but Dabi really hates it. With you along I could finally have a singing partner!"

"Yeah, okay, we're certainly not doing that. But there is a horror movie we both want to see, and Toga said she'd pay for the tickets." Dabi interjected, shooting Toga an exasperated glance.

"Okay, and then we'll do karaoke!" She responded, meeting Dabi's gaze with a falsely saccharine sweet smile. "So, you coming or not Izu-kun?"

After a moments hesitation Izuku nodded, scaling the chain link fence to fall on the other end beside the vehicle.

"Fine. But if I get caught one of you is going to cover for me." He announced, hiding his excitement under a layer of condescension.

"Agreed. It would be Toga's pleasure." Dabi grinned, taking his place in the driver's seat.

Though Toga frowned she didn't object, and she filed into shotgun as Izuku sat in back. On the drive there, he found himself a bit shaken by the idea that the world he was seeing from the car window was one he hadn't interacted with in at least two weeks. He felt so removed from a world that had once seemed mundane to him, and it was especially jarring whenever he saw signs depicting heroes. It all felt far too distant to be real.

When they finally did arrive at the theater, Toga found out that she didn't have enough change on her, forcing an exasperated Dabi to pay. Though he promised to hold the event over Toga's head for as long as he could, Izuku suspected that it wasn't the first time something like this had occurred, and had to repress a laugh when she showed Izuku her more than capable wallet a few minutes after. The way the two bantered together was sometimes reminiscent of bickering siblings, getting on each others nerves constantly but secretly enjoying the game all the while.

Everything came crashing down around him, however, when thirty minutes into the movie the titular antagonist appeared. The film was apparently of the slasher variety, and the gruesome imagery began to hold far too many parallels to aspects of his own life to be ignored.

Instead of staying put and enduring the scenes, Izuku eventually got up and left the room, taking a seat in the hall while waiting for his nausea to pass. The feeling was so overwhelming that he failed to notice when someone else sat down beside him.

"Sorry about that. All things considered I didn't really think you'd be so sensitive to gore at this point."

Izuku tilted his head up to see Toga seated beside him, a look of seemingly genuine concern on her face.

"Well sorry wouldn't really cut it, but I guess this is probably my fault anyways." Izuku muttered, looking back at the sign above the door they had both exited. "It was a horror movie after all."

Toga reached out to put a hand on his shoulder but recoiled as she seemed to think better of it.

"Yeah I know that everything's probably really gotta suck for you right now, huh, what with how you used to be and all. You always seemed like the really heroic type when I saw you with your class, but now you looked so different that I thought maybe you'd changed. I mean all of us used to be kinda like you were at some point. Well, everyone that likes Stain at least. Doing things that everyone else thinks are bad sucks, even when you know you're doing it for the right reason. And I guess with what you've got going on you can't even say that much."

"Are you trying to make me feel better or worse?"

"You might find it hard to believe but better. I'm just trying to say that while your reality might not always be the best, there are probably still good things that you can do with it. Even I feel regret for things sometimes, but then I remember that I'm doing it to make the world a better place for people who rely on heroes by getting rid of the fakers. If you just find something to strive for too, then maybe you can forgive yourself for the bad things like the rest of us do. Or put them behind you at least I guess."

Toga stood back up and dusted herself off.

"Sorry if all that sounded painfully cheesy. I've got a movie to watch though, so I hope you'll be fine out here on your own. You look a little pale, so if your not coming you might wanna go outside and get some fresh air."

With that said the blond teenager walked off back into the movie, her chipper attitude regained as soon as her feet hit the floor.

Izuku thought back on what she'd said, though what kept echoing in his head were those last words.

 _"Go outside and get some fresh air."_

It was almost like an invitation to run away. He could exit the building, run somewhere safe, tip the police off to the villain's location and be done with the whole thing. Just as the thought hit him, his elbow brushed against his pocket, catching on the outline of the knife he always kept with him, and he knew he was wrong. He could never be done with the whole thing. No matter where he went he'd always have to kill, so he might as well do it for the right reasons.

He stood up, took a deep breath, and followed the path Toga had taken moments before, back into the theater. Blood was just something he was going to have to get used to, so he might as well start now.

Even after the movie was done and karaoke had once again been denied as a recreational option, Izuku still failed to see the figure which had been trailing the group since their departure as it diverged from their path.

Kurogiri had already seen enough to know that Izuku Midoriya had been given the chance to leave and hadn't, and that was enough. It seemed as though the boy might finally be ready for his much awaited debut.

* * *

 **Okay so here's some info on how exactly the command works since those who weren't asking questions already probably will be after this chapter.**

 **While in theory the command would allow Izuku to "kill" something in a metaphorical way or kill animals rather than humans, the way it affects him is almost based entirely on the way he perceives it. Since he thought of killing as ending a life in the first instance of the commands implementation, he was forced to kill Ima, and now even though he's considered the possibility of multiple meanings he doesn't want to acknowledge them for fear that it would invalidate the things he's done so far by providing a way out that he didn't take. If he killed earlier when it was avoidable then he has to face and live with the fact that he committed murder when another option was available, and it is much easier to run from that guilt than confront it. As much as he beats himself up about everything, he doesn't want to take full responsibility for his actions if possible because in his mind that would put him too far beyond saving on a moral scale for him to be comfortable with.**

 **Once again thanks to everyone for reading, review to tell me about issues you have with the story's grammar, plot, and characters if possible!**


	10. Chapter 10

**-Chapter 10-**

It was only a day after his nighttime visit to Shinjuku that Izuku finally received his new, and supposedly improved, combat outfit.

Though he was certain he should be hesitant rather than eager to know that his first outing as a villain was drawing closer, Izuku couldn't stifle a wave of excitement at the thought of putting his new skills into practice, especially considering how well the new costume seemed to compliment his fighting style.

Unlike his prior suit, the one Izuku now possessed had obviously been designed with his current strengths and weaknesses in mind. For the first time it occurred to him that the costume's creation was delayed due to a lack of knowledge regarding his level of quirk mastery and repercussions, information that had only been gleaned through observation of the training sessions he'd participated in. Whatever his opinion on the league was, Izuku had to admit that their dedication to his success was impressive. He was sure he'd be grateful if he wasn't aware of the intentions behind it all.

In terms of appearance the outfit truly was an echo of it's predecessor. Built with stealth in mind rather than appeal, the color of the fabric had been greatly darkened and desaturated, leaving it a bland greenish-gray. While the black stripe designs had stayed, the gloves, belt, and shoulder pads of the suit had been tinted to match, and any small design choices had been omitted in favor of simplicity.

While the neck-piece of the suit had undergone no large visible changes, the same couldn't be said for the hood. The two bunny-ear like protrusions which had been eye-catching and tall were now much more subdued and sleek, and the holes which had been cut for sight now had a one way black tint.

Though Izuku was hopeful that he'd still be able to wear his regular shoes with the outfit, there were also a pair of new similarly colored boots to match the ensemble.

Besides the obvious palette changes, the suit had multiple more functional additions as well. The knuckles of the gloves and bottom of the boots were now covered with dark metal plating, obviously grafted on to increase the impact of punches and kicks. Optional noise omitting headphones had been stitched inside of the hood to disable the ability of noise amplification quirks, and he found that his metal neckpiece could be swapped out for a gas mask stored in one of his belt's pockets. The tinted eye coverage, which had originally been perceived as a stylistic choice, Izuku later found to posses night vision capabilities. There was also an earpiece that Izuku was expected to wear for communication purposes, though it was probably his least favorite part of the suit.

Something that was always implemented into hero costumes regardless of style was one mutual color present throughout. Though usually for branding purposes, something that was useless for his current status, Izuku still found this to ring true with his current gear, the connecting color being black. While he liked the overall appearance of the outfit much less, he couldn't deny it's pragmatism, especially since he was expected to fight heroes with a variety of quirks under the cover of darkness.

After Izuku unboxed the outfit however, his curiosity in it didn't seem to last, choosing instead to fixate on what it's arrival implied.

"So, does this mean I'll be allowed to leave soon?" He'd inquired once he had finished his examination of the box's contents. "I mean it'd be kind of useless to give this to me otherwise."

Kurogiri nodded in response. "We've determined that you now posses both the skill and obedience necessary for your first outing based on info gathered both during your training and daily activity. Because we'd like to give you time to test your new outfit as well as plan, we've decided to leave the exact date of the event up to you, though I suspect you won't make us wait long. You've seemed oddly eager to be out in the field despite your initial hesitation. If you don't mind entertaining my curiosity, I'd like to know why exactly that is. It's hardly something I would've expected from you."

To the contrary, Izuku felt that he wasn't impatient enough for the occasion. Though he'd been ready enough to die upon his arrival to the villain's hideout, he'd found that his willingness had ebbed somewhat overtime. It wasn't quite that he believed he no longer deserved the punishment, but rather that he'd become a bit less depressed with the current state of things in light of recent events. In a way the kind of lifestyle that had been proposed to him had given him a new reason for living. While he wasn't certain that he'd ever approve of murder as an answer to societal issues, it didn't seem like a horrible method when combined with his condition.

The idea that Izuku could still contribute to the world despite his situation was extremely tempting, and as everyone seemed so intent on reminding him the method had been proven to work in the past if one ignored the intervention of heroes into the mix. Stain's work had cleared out a large group of what many would consider to be unworthy heroes, and had even inspired some others to go into early retirement during his heyday.

While Izuku could see using his new ailment to kill villains as a better alternative overall, it didn't seem to be one available to him at this point anyways, and life as a solo vigilante could easily lead to him hurting civilians if he failed to find suitable targets in time. Of course one could make the argument that the people the villains supplied for Izuku now were civilians, and to his knowledge they might as well be, but it was much easier to brush off the blame onto someone else when he wasn't the one who found them in the first place. It was just another one of the white lies that served as a barrier to stop Izuku from breaking down entirely, though he would never acknowledge it himself.

None of that went to say that Izuku planned not to die, of course, but rather that he wasn't certain he wanted to so soon. A choice would have to be made at some point as to whether he would die or continue on, and it felt far too soon to say with conviction which he wanted to pick. The stress of the whole thing had kept him up the night before in particular when he'd found himself weighing pros and cons as if he were deciding something trivial like which shirt to buy instead of the fate of his own life.

"I'm just tired of being trapped with nothing to do." He replied bitingly. "It's not that surprising when you consider how little there is to do here. Maybe if I deliver you'll consider lengthening my leash a bit."

That wasn't entirely a lie either, though Izuku had become more fond of cage as of late. He even felt a bit regretful speaking so harshly to Kurogiri. Though he didn't particularly want to admit he enjoyed the company of anyone in his new life, the portal villain had always been relatively polite to him, even when Izuku went out of his way to be a nuisance.

"Understandably. I wouldn't worry too much about that though. We do plan to give you plenty more freedom if this is done to our satisfaction. Speaking of which, do you recall the terms you must adhere to for us to consider your debut a success?"

"I need to kill a hero of some kind, and it has to be public... Or wait no- it just has to be done in a way that's clearly traceable back to me, so it doesn't really matter if it's done in an alley or on a stage as long as I get caught on camera or place obvious DNA evidence." Izuku mused, mumbling to himself rather than for Kurogiri's benefit. "I mean- that's correct, right?"

"Well, yes, partially." Kurogiri hesitated. "Based on what we've told you thus far that would be accurate. But I'm afraid when I talked to you previously I had yet to consult with some of our associates."

Izuku took a moment to note how Kurogiri said "our" instead of "my", wondering at exactly how much he had integrated into the group since his arrival. Of course the end result hadn't come about from lack of effort, he reminded himself. It was all just a ploy to gain trust, and nothing more.

"There are only a few additional conditions however, and I'm sure you'll find them quite manageable."

Izuku somehow doubted that based on the way Kurogiri was speaking. His speech patterns, which usually applied a definite finality to statements, seemed more shaky than usual.

"Really? Then what are the conditions?" Izuku asked, hearing the uncertainty creep into his voice. "I have some standards for this that I'm not willing to compromise."

"As is to be expected." Kurogiri agreed. "I'll notify you of the terms, but first I'd like to make it clear that these only stand for your first outing. Afterwards you will be allowed complete control of how you operate if you so wish."

There was a bit of a pause.

"I'm aware that I implied you could choose your first target as long as they were a hero, but this offer has been rescinded for the time being. Don't worry, however, as you'll still have freedom to pick whoever you wish as long as their popularity ranking falls into the higher end of the spectrum. I've selected a few heroes which I believe you'd be open to that fit within the desired range if you'd rather save yourself the trouble of searching yourself. Besides, it might be a difficult task to do from memory considering we have yet to give you internet access."

Izuku's brow began to furrow as he considered the implications of what the villain had said. "That should be fine I guess... Is this because you want the story to make headlines? You guys probably think that a more popular hero's death will get more media coverage right?"

"You're right of course. Quick as always." Kurogiri affirmed. "The second term falls in the same vein. Though camera footage and fingerprints will suffice in the future, we'd like you to make as much of a splash as you're currently able. If possible an attack in a public area or at a televised event would be preferable."

"That'll be tougher. If I'm somewhere with a lot of people, whats to say the hero or someone nearby won't call for backup? Not to sound conceited but the whole kidnapping me thing probably put a target on my back too. If I take off my mask there's going to be repercussions unless I can get away quick enough. I'm fine with danger, but if they'res a chance of me getting caught then I'm out. I'm not going back."

"Well if anything goes so wrong as all that then we'll just have to open up a portal and bring you back as quickly as possible, won't we? I'll be keeping tabs on you using your comm device so you only need to warn me if there's a situation you can't escape from. If worse comes to worst we'll send backup of our own."

Though Izuku still felt a bit uneasy he had to admit that he had few worries while backed by the League.

"Okay fine. Anything else?" He questioned, ready to return to his room to consider his rapidly decreasing pool of hero candidates.

"Only one more. We want to eliminate any doubts of whose side you've chosen as well as prove that we did not alter your mental state in any way to do so regardless of the truth. It must appear as though you've joined us willingly. Now while I'll admit it's more than a little cliche, we believe that the ideal way to get this point across would be with a speech or monologue of some sort. Though some villains let their actions speak for themselves it isn't uncommon for some to inform the public of what injustice they hope to combat, especially in the case of those who believe themselves to be social reformers rather than agents of chaos. You'll receive full liberty on exactly what you hope to say, but if you have trouble thinking of anything then I'd be more than willing to offer counsel."

Now as far as Izuku was concerned, that term did pose an issue. He had been banking off the idea that he could pass off his change as what it was, forced and unnatural rather than by choice. If the people he cared about thought he'd changed sides by choice, then they'd never forgive him. There'd be no mourning when he was eventually found dead, no tears from his classmates, his mother wouldn't be allowed to care, at least not publicly... But maybe that was the best course of action? After all, he didn't want anyone to feel awful, or blame themselves for their inability to rescue him when they could've, or feel guilty whenever they thought of a past where they were his friends. Maybe it would be better if he gave them reasons to hate him, because then they wouldn't care. He'd have to prove that he'd always been beyond saving of course, but he was sure that wouldn't be too hard at this point. He'd always heard that suicide was worse for the victim's loved ones than they themselves, it was why everyone always called those kinds of people selfish. But his loved one's couldn't be sad when he died if he had none. He knew he was already a deplorable human being now, he just had to show it to everyone else. Then, maybe they'd be happy when he died instead of heartbroken.

"No problem, but I don't think I'll need the help." Izuku said, a dark expression creeping onto his face with his new conviction. He stood up from where he'd seated himself to be level with the box, taking his costume in his arms to bring upstairs. "If that's all then I'd like to look at the candidates you've chosen. Do you have a list?"

Kurogiri nodded, his eyes wide with surprise at Izuku's swift compliance. "Yes, I do. Here."

He handed Izuku the paper, allowing him leave to run off to the stairs. If the teenager had appeared eager before he was certainly more so now, though this time with a much darker sort of confidence.

When he reached his loft, he began to look over the list. Unsurprisingly, he knew all of the names listed, and as kurogiri had promised he knew most of them fit the wide bracket of what an undeserving hero was.

After some harsh scrutiny, Izuku finally settled on a hero known as Daystar. Known for his combat oriented skills, Daystar was a hero who had been known to neglect saving civilians in favor of taking down enemies. In one of the worst cases of this, he'd allowed part of a building to collapse on a trapped family because he was too focused on fighting the villain who had destabilized it. Somehow his popularity persisted with those who enjoyed watching heroes for the action rather than what they stood for, though Izuku had always had a particular dislike for him.

Besides that his quirk, rising sun, was a particularly lethal one, and had been responsible for the deaths of at least two villains in the past if Izuku recalled correctly. By charging up light in the same way a solar-electric panel would, He could release strong energy bursts or contort the output into strong blasts. While he hadn't decided whether or not he planned to die yet, if he chose to do so the outcome wouldn't be unbelievable or difficult to bring about. If he were lucky then an energy blast might even burn his body to the point of no recognition, and he would become a mystery rather than a mistake on part of the heroes.

His plan seemed even more perfect upon further inspection. When he told Kurogiri about his desire to fight Daystar, He was allowed internet access in order to find a proper time and place to attack. As it turned out the hero was hosting a party as his excessively large house to celebrate the newly announced ranking list, which placed him at least ten spots higher than he'd previously been. It wasn't so much of an accomplishment really, but Izuku seemed to get the feeling that Daystar would take any chance to celebrate. The party was invite only but plenty of celebrities were being included, mostly because other heroes generally disapproved of Daystar. The whole thing was going to be covered by the kind of gossip reporters who fussed over what sorts of outfits and makeup each attendee was wearing, so he was certain that no matter how successful his endeavor was it was sure to get coverage. The event was being held in a day though, so preparations would need to be fast.

All in all the party was a perfect opportunity by the villain's standards, and it seemed as though Kurogiri was relieved to get a definite answer. Izuku was fairly satisfied with the turn of events as well, at least until he woke up in the morning that was.

When he walked down to the training field to complete his daily command fulfillment, Izuku found it empty. Though he searched for Kurogiri to inquire about the state of affairs, he was no where to be found.

This irked him more than just a bit. His body had been more or less trained to expect a killing around the same time each day, and the lack of one was felt almost immediately. He had to try and look away from anyone he encountered to avoid feeling the regular pull of the command, something he'd been lucky enough to almost forget earlier. The whole thing gave him a headache, and made him feel like he was missing something vital, like a night's sleep. By the time he gave up looking, he was about ready to knock a wall down.

Luckily though, Kurogiri showed up later during the regular time for training, and Izuku finally had a place to direct his outrage.

"Hey, why didn't you show up today?" He demanded, crossing his arms furiously. "I looked for you for hours!"

"My apologies. I wanted to inform you of this condition as well but was worried that it only would've only served to agitate you." Kurogiri stated calmly. "I'll admit it would've been better to warn you earlier but I had a prior engagement this morning and-"

"Seriously? You were planning this in advance? Well that's just fine, right? Not like it effects you or anything! Wait you planned this because you wanted to make sure I did the job tomorrow didn't you?" Izuku's thought process was fogged by the constant buzzing in his head, but he had no doubt that he was absolutely furious with the villains.

"I won't lie to you, that was the purpose behind this. To be fair I wasn't quite sure how you'd be effected by a lack of... Well... In any event you originally said you could go more than a day. We assumed this would be further insurance in you fulfilling our end of the bargain. Although it seems you have less control over yourself than I thought."

Izuku threw his arms up in exasperation. "I obviously have no control over this or I wouldn't be here! Look- ugh can we just not do this? Ever? I can do fine without the help, I swear!"

Kurogiri shook his head, voice calm as ever as he responded. "I'm sorry but I'm afraid not. This was a decision made by Shigaraki, not myself, and I have no ability to alter it. I tried to speak on your behalf but to no avail."

Izuku walked over to a nearby wall, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "No way it can be changed. Fine then. Whatever I'll deal I guess. I'm going to be much less coherent tomorrow then, I'm warning you."

"That's fine as long as you hold to our deal." Kurogiri confirmed, turning to walk back inside.

"Wait!" Izuku called after him. "We didn't even practice today!"

"Indeed. I've assessed that you aren't in any state for training today. Use the time however you like, but I'd suggest planning for tomorrow if you're rational enough."

Though Izuku considered chasing after him, he eventually ended up heading up to his loft to fume. He knew he was being unlike himself, but he didn't think that it made his argument any less valid. He might as well lose any thoughts of botching the fight at this point, he was already in a mindset where the next person to enter the room was likely to get a brain injury.

By the next day, his condition had only worsened to the point where Izuku was afraid to leave the warehouse lest he end up jumping someone. The few times anyone did come by he locked himself in the bathroom to avoid being seen, though when the grungy clock on the wall told him the party would begin soon, he was sure he'd have to go see Kurogiri again.

After putting on his suit he went back out to the clearing, frowning profusely all the while.

Though Kurogiri was there as expected, Izuku was a bit surprised to see Toga as well.

"Hey Izu-kun! I heard you were a bit grouchy but wanted to see you off anyways. Good luck!" She cheered, giving him an exaggerated thumbs up.

Though Izuku normally would've said something nice to placate her, he wasn't in the frame of mind to today.

" _Thanks._ " He growled back sarcastically, his voice dripping with venom. "I'm sure it'll just be loads of fun."

Whatever look was on his face must've been pretty telling, because Toga immediately jumped back, her usual saccharine smile fading.

"Ummm, kay, I'll cheer you on from my room then. Bye!" She amended, scurrying off somewhere after sending over one more wave.

Kurogiri sighed and shot Izuku a look but not unlike Toga turned away almost immediately afterwards as if in unease.

"Thank you for arriving so punctually. I'll be sending you off to whatever destination you've chosen to appear in, so direct me whenever you're ready." Kurogiri offered, maintaining an even tone despite his loss of eye contact.

"Well you know the address. Sending me to the roof would be ideal. I'll leave whenever you're ready, which I'm hoping is soon."

Kurogiri didn't answer, instead letting the appearance of a portal do the talking for him.

"Thanks I guess. Be seeing you whenever I get back." Izuku muttered, walking in. He couldn't wait to punch something.

* * *

Kinoshita Riku had been born into a fairly wealthy family, but even she found the party's venue to be enormously excessive. Of course of everyone in the world, Daystar was the person you'd expect it from.

A three story Victorian style house in Japan was almost unheard of, especially when it's sole occupant was one single man in his late twenties. Of course Riku wasn't allowed to judge, it would be poor for her image as a reporter.

Carried only by her family name, Riku had been accepted into one of the most prestigious schools in Japan. Despite graduating top of her class in high-school as well as being a commendable college student and possessing a knack for danger, her parents had ensured that due to her position as their "fragile little daughter" Riku would be a tabloid reporter instead of an action one as she'd always dreamed. It was just to dangerous nowadays to go and report on actual news, after all most of it involved death, terror attacks, and villains. Her parents were much more eager to tie her down to the ungodly fate of cataloging the shoe brands each pop star wore and getting close ups on their eye shadow as she lived off her father's paycheck rather than her own.

Nothing interesting ever happened at events like this, not to mention that the whole atmosphere stank of phony including herself. She suspected she'd only been invited to the party in the first place to boost the host's already atrocious ego by once again putting him in the spotlight for the mundanes and lessers of the world. The whole thing would be sad if it weren't so gaudy.

"Hey, miss Kinoshita." She heard a member of her film crew mention. "Daystar's getting up on stage to give a toast. Should we get this on camera?"

Riku nodded inconsequentially, fiddling with the base of her microphone.

"Sure, why not? We don't have anything else more important to film."

She watched with vague disinterest as the crew around her got to work with their devices. She turned her head to fix on the stage in the middle of the third story's banquet hall, rolling her eyes at the hush of false respect that fell over the crowd as the host took the stage.

"Hello!" Daystar greeted, grinning. "Firstly I'd like to thank you all for coming-"

Riku, who was already not very focused on listening to Daystar in the first place, became distracted by a dark shape hanging over the edge of the large, paneled window behind the speaker. The outline, clearly visible in the light of the full moon, appeared to be a darkly colored circle with two matching rectangles hanging from either side.

"-I'm sure you're all just as happy that I am that-"

Maybe the figure wasn't anything special. Probably just a weird branch that fell on the roof from one of the nearby trees. Or a piece of trash. Nothing worrisome. But then-

Riku let out a small gasp much to the annoyance of her coworkers, though she hardly cared about the grimaces they shot at her.

The outline had disappeared over the lip of the roof.

"-This party has been a success thanks to-"

Now a full bodied figure leaped out from the area of the rooftop to land perched on a tree branch a few feet from the window. The two same rectangles sitting atop where the figure's head would be.

Riku was wondering if she should tell someone just as the figure jolted, flying across the gap of night to shatter the window feet away, careening down in a path to hit the stage's speaker head on.

"So let's get to- Agh!" Daystar turned just before impact, catching a well aimed kick with his outstretched arm. The impact was incredibly impressive, sending it's victim spiraling back at high speed until he hit the opposite wall, releasing a shower of wood chips and plaster.

From there the party broke into chaos. Some guests screamed and ran while others stood in stunned shock. Some even pulled out their portable phones and began to record the whole thing.

"I won't be the only person not to get this on tape! Quick! Mobilize the camera, and we could get a headliner here!" Riku commanded, taking her own personal cam quarter to record the damage from a closer angle.

"Wait, miss Kinoshita! Shouldn't we be running?!"

Riku paid no mind to her coworkers, instead focusing on catching the fight unfolding before her. The figure, whoever it was, had expertly rolled out of it's dive and was now running back to get in another hit.

Daystar, though dazed, reacted fairly swiftly, putting his hands together to send a blast at the approaching attacker.

The figure, however, seemed fairly unfazed, jumping to the side to avoid the linear ray seconds before it connected, leaving it to destroy a nearby wall. Instead of stopping or reconsidering it's course, the figure kept coming, this time at a faster pace.

Though it was obvious that Daystar wanted to get to his feet, the arm which had been hit seemed to have broken, having fallen to his side, and the shards from the wall behind him had caused quite a bit of bleeding where his back was concerned as well. Not to mention that his quirk, which drew from the sun, was limited to whatever light he'd stored up the day before.

Whoever the attacker was he had the element of surprise on his side, and tonight that might be just enough.

Still though Daystar had risen by the time the figure reached him, and he managed to barely dodge the next punch despite it's impressive speed.

Catching the figure's arm after the punch with his uninjured hand, Daystar attempted to throw his opponent to the ground, but seemed to be outmatched in strength despite the figure's small size. By simply yanking his arm back, the figure seemed to effectively dislocate the hero's shoulder before dealing a devastating kick to his torso.

From the amount of blood that spurted from the hero's mouth, it was clear that his internal organs had been damaged greatly. He wasn't going to be getting back up.

Instead of accepting the victory and walking off, however, the hooded figure returned and delivered one last blow to Daystar's head, making his neck snap back at an impossible angle.

The fight could hardly be considered a fight at all with how one sided it had been, though Riku didn't regret it one bit. She'd gotten the entire thing on camera.

She jumped as she realized her proximity to the figure however, slowly sliding back against the floor.

Luckily the person hadn't looked up from the hero's corpse since it had been made as such, and Riku was a good ten feet further back by the time it removed it's hood.

The boy (it was a boy, Riku realized), couldn't have been older than sixteen at the most. He was short and slim, with shaggy hair that even from a distance could be recognized as a dark, forest green sort of color. He had a distinct set of freckles on either side of his face. Riku knew in a second that he was the splitting image of the boy whose face had been on so many missing person posters, news channels, and evidently people's minds for the past month or so. Izuku Midoriya if she remembered correctly.

But no- she almost told herself. It couldn't be him. The boy that she'd seen on the posters hadn't had eyes like that. They were startlingly dark and deep for someone of his age, yet their emptiness was only rivaled by their animosity. All the other features lined up perfectly though, and even the outfit he wore was reminiscent of the missing Midoriya's. It had to be him.

The boy made his way back to the window from which he'd arrived, what few party goers remained parted to let him pass, too shocked or curious to leave at this point.

Riku was still aiming her camera at him as he took the stage and stopped at it's edge, eyes sweeping out to face a now minuscule crowd.

"Hello. Firstly I'd like to thank you all for coming." The boy repeated the same words Daystar had begun his own speech with, though his voice somehow made them sound much more hollow. "Secondly I'd like to make something clear about what you just witnessed. As you saw I murdered the so called hero Daystar. You might wonder why I say so-called, and trust me I don't use the term lightly. As you're all probably already aware Daystar's actions as a hero were, by no means, exemplary. He often omitted saving others in favor of acting in a flashy, and attention grabbing manner. He cared far more about fame, wealth, and the enjoyment he found in combat than the lives of those he was sworn to protect. Many innocent civilians died on his watch and many more would've followed had I not taken action here today. He was my only target here, and I promise none of you in the audience will be injured tonight."

The relief was plain on the faces of the gathered crowd, though some were still entrapped by shock.

"If you somehow recognize me then I'd like to confirm your suspicions. I am indeed Midoriya Izuku."

There were a few mutters of awe or surprise around the room but it did little to change the atmosphere as a whole.

"Now I'm sure your wondering why I'm here tonight and why I did what I did. I have no issues with telling you. As I said before Daystar was an immoral and neglectful hero, and as you'll soon find I have a specific vendetta against those like him. I myself am victim to the same type of negligence. If you know who I am then you also know that I was kidnapped about a month ago without a word. This was possible because of the inability of those around me to prevent such an event, and similarly heroes who were far too complacent in their ability to actively deal with threats to take proper precaution. Though I won't go into detail about my captors or experience, I will tell you that what I went through was entirely preventable had the heroes overseeing me cared enough to be proactive or consider the possibility of what occurred. The only reason I'm here today is because I managed to kill my kidnappers and escape, and it wasn't something that any hero set into motion. Those who can't even protect a single person close to them don't deserve the right to protect the masses, and they especially don't deserve the title of hero."

Sirens broke the silence of the room, far off but fast approaching. Someone had called the cops. Seemingly in response the boy pressed a spot somewhere behind his ear, and a purplish black void opened up behind him.

"I'll be leaving you all now but please consider what I've said tonight. Thank you for your time."

And with that final goodbye Midoriya Izuku turned his back to the audience and entered the void, which disappeared a moment later.

The whole room was enveloped in an awed silence that seemed to penetrate even the sirens outside. The faces around Riku held alternating expressions. Fear, disbelief, anger. But she herself knew she wore a big grin.

This was the story of a lifetime, and she'd be the first to report it.

* * *

 **Okay sorry for the wait, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter nonetheless!**

 **Sorry if anything in this chapter seemed overdone or too uncharacteristic to be believable. I know Izuku's speech probably sounds pretty out of the blue, but if you notice I tried to include parallels between his idea of an unforgivable hero and the kind of person he now sees himself as.**

 **Thanks for reading, and as always please please please leave a review if you have the time!**


	11. Chapter 11

**-Chapter 11-**

It was around seven in the morning when the newscast had been played in the common area of the UA dorms, though supposedly it had been aired live at twelve the night before. Most students had been far too busy on a Saturday night to be in a position to watch the news, and those who weren't had been doing homework or sleeping.

Surely the school's staff had undoubtedly viewed the story upon it's release, after all, it wasn't as if it hadn't set every media outlet in Japan in a drama fueled frenzy. But they must've thought better than ruining the only off nights of their student body, because everyone in attendance had been equally surprised to see a familiar name in the headlines as Kaminari lazily thumbed through channels.

Five students had been up at the time, the rest using their weekend morning to catch up on rest. Among these were the aforementioned Kaminari, who hated missing out on Sunday morning cartoons, Koda, who tried to cook breakfast for his friends on the days when he had enough time that he could, Asui, who always woke up at six am religiously, Yaoyorozu, who preferred to get an early start on laundry, and finally Bakugou, who went out to exercise during the sunrise on weekends.

Bakugou had, in fact, just returned to shower after running laps around the school's track when he heard a loud exclamation from an unexpected source.

"Kaminari, go back down a channel!"

The blond normally would've dismissed the cry even regarding the urgency to it's tone. It wasn't uncommon for students to fight over what to watch, especially considering the widely varying taste of the class's occupants. There were, however, some teenagers who never bickered over the state of the television whether due to preference for other activities or general pacifism, and Tsuyu Asui was one of the former.

Besides that, the girl hardly ever gave off an air of distress or shock, but the emotion coating her words in that instant seemed to carry both.

Bakugou dismounted the stairs he'd been standing on to walk to his room in favor of further investigating his peer's distress, though he didn't get very far before another voice joined Asui's.

"No way. Watch whatever you want on your own time but I got up early just to see the new episode of 'Mecha Maid'. It's the season finale!"

 _Of course._ Bakugou thought, frowning dismissively. _It's just another stupid meaningless feud. Frog chick wants to watch something that short circuit doesn't. I don't know why I bothered._

But despite his doubts to the conversation's relevance, Bakugou continued on his way to the common room. Something in the back of his mind just didn't set right with him at the thought of Asui's outcry, and he wasn't one to give up on an investigation.

When he entered the room, things almost seemed as normal as ever. That was, except for the intensity of Asui's gaze, still focused unrelentingly on the screen a few feet in front of her.

"I understand Kaminari but this is more important I promise." She assured, her fist tightening at her sides. "Please turn the channel back to the local news station."

"More important? Come on Tsu!" Kaminari retorted, obviously having yet to realize the gravity of his friend's request. "Everyone else already gives me crap me for watching MM, but I thought you didn't care either way. Tuning into the news doesn't make you inherently smarter or something, no matter how much Jiro seems to think so!"

"Kaminari this isn't a joke. Did you look at the headline while you were scrolling or were you too focused on the remote?"

Asui's sincerity finally seemed to reach the other, who's fingers began to stall over the remote's channel down button.

"No, I guess I didn't." He faltered. "Why?"

Now even Koda, busy cooking pancakes in the kitchenette nearby, and Yaoyorozu, who had been sharing a muted conversation with him as he worked, had stopped to listen in on the bickering. The severity of the tone could be felt by anyone with ears or eyes, and though he tried to keep himself uninterested even Bakugou felt drawn in.

Asui took a deep breath, uncurling her fingers before looking Kaminari in the eyes.

"The headline said 'Midoriya Izuku: Found'. That's all I saw."

The mood of the room rose instantly. Yaoyorozu expelled an audible gasp as Kaminari began to fumble nervously with the remote in an anxious attempt to change the channel as requested. Hardly anyone noticed the smell of burning pancakes that begun to fill the room as those who hadn't been near the television already scrambled to shorten their proximity.

Izuku had been gone for one month now, though to Bakugou it felt much shorter. It was hard for it to feel as though it had been all that long ago when the scene played endlessly in his head like a recording with a broken replay button. Though Bakugou had never considered himself particularly fond of Izuku, he couldn't help but think of his failure to save his rival as a testament to his failures.

Bakugou Katsuki prided himself in the fact that he never half-assed anything. Whatever he did from playing drums to lifting weights, he had to be the best or then the activity wasn't worth the effort in the first place. By failing to save someone, even someone who should've been able to save themselves, made him less than a perfect hero, which infuriated him. Now in his eyes the only way he could redeem himself was by saving Izuku now if not earlier, but all of his efforts had turned up empty.

While he was excited to hear that his lost peer may be returning, he couldn't deny the twinge of fear he felt at the same time. Had someone else saved him, or was he already unsavable? The headline had read 'found'. It hadn't specified whether alive or dead.

Thinking of Izuku dead or dying brought feelings to light that Bakugou was afraid to acknowledge. As much as he despised the way Izuku always seemed to judge him for his shortcomings, his presence as an opposing force had become somewhat vital to Bakugou's incentives in heroics. By creating a motivating challenge, Izuku had driven Bakugou to strive for greater heights both as a hero and as a person, and this relationship had led to a sort of dependence he hadn't noticed until it was gone. Without someone to compete against, his main drive had become rescuing Izuku rather than outmatching him.

This reliance irked Bakugou to no end, but he figured there was no point in dwelling on it. As long as Izuku was around there'd be no need to worry. As long as he was alive, he could set that worry aside for another day.

All eyes were on the set as Kaminari finally succeeded in his task, and an energetic blond reporter began to speak onscreen.

"Hello, this is Kinoshita Riku coming at you live from Tokyo, Japan, where an uninvited guest has just made his departure from The Radiant Hero, Daystar's, celebratory banquet!"

Though the women's word's were halfway drowned out by sirens, what was much more noticeable was the state of the Victorian styled manor behind her. The middlemost window, which seemed to be broken down the center, plainly revealed the ruined dining hall inside.

"Just as the party's host stood onstage to deliver a speech to the gathered crowd, the long lost UA academy student known by the name Midoriya Izuku broke through a nearby window to charge at him. A fight ensued, though it only lasted about five minutes. Afterwards the perpetrator escaped through unknown means, and Daystar was confirmed dead by medical professionals just moments ago."

The reaction across the room was tangible.

"There's no way that's right." Kaminari stated emphatically. "It must've just been someone who looked like Midoriya. He wouldn't do that."

Yaoyorozu nodded. "Yes, but... Nonetheless I think I should go get our classmates. I think they'd want to hear this. Update me when I come back if anything new arises."

The girl rose shakily before staggering off down the hall to wake her peers.

"But that isn't all. If you doubt the authenticity of this report then we need only show you footage of Midoriya himself making his introduction and delivering an accompanying speech of his own." The news reporter chirped, delivering a quick gesture to someone in front of her.

Afterwards there was a less than smooth transition from live camera feed to what Bakugou could infer was a recording of the events prior.

As the reporter had promised, the footage began with a darkly clad figure tackling a man who was obviously the hero Daystar, recognizable despite his uncharacteristically formal manner of dress. The outfit the figure was wearing unquestionably resembled the one Izuku had designed, but it had undergone changes.

The altercation was quick as far as fights went, and when it ended it seemed harder to believe that Daystar had survived than that he hadn't.

What happened next shook Bakugou to his core. When the figure removed his hood it was Izuku... And at the same time it wasn't.

Same frame, same face, same hair more or less, but... Those eyes.

Izuku Midoriya's eyes hadn't looked like that. The eyes the figure in the video had were dim, and dead, and murderous, and desolate. They were the eyes of someone who had given up all hope, the eyes of someone who had lost everything and wouldn't hesitate to bring the same fate on others.

Izuku Midoriya's eyes had been bright and cheerful, full of hope no matter the scenario. The kind of eyes that spoke volumes about their owner's character, how he was brave, and friendly, and generous, and most certainly not a killer in any capacity.

There was no way that those two sets of eyes could belong to the same person.

"That isn't actually Izuku." Kaminari cut in again, his voice less certain than before. Bakugou looked at the electric quirk user to see that he'd turned his head away from the television, his expression pained. "That's Toga or something. It has to be. She had that creepy copycat quirk, remember?"

Bakugou wanted to retort that the only person Kaminari was reassuring with his flimsy argument was himself but thought better of it for once. He'd seen the Toga girl before during the provisional license exam and she didn't seem like the type to put on an expression like that. In any case it'd be much smarter for her to just copy the way Izuku always looked, not change his appearance. It would make her a less believable copy.

"Be quiet Kaminari, Izukus saying something." Asui reprimanded, attention still turned to the screen.

"Hello. Firstly I'd like to thank you all for coming." The projection of Izuku began blithely, his voice as empty as his expression. But of course it was still his voice.

"Secondly I'd like to make something clear about what you just witnessed. As you saw I murdered the so called hero Daystar. You might wonder why I say so-called, and trust me I don't use the term lightly. As you're all probably already aware Daystar's actions as a hero were, by no means, exemplary. He often omitted saving others in favor of acting in a flashy, and attention grabbing manner. He cared far more about fame, wealth, and the enjoyment he found in combat than the lives of those he was sworn to protect. Many innocent civilians died on his watch and many more would've followed had I not taken action here today. He was my only target here, and I promise none of you in the audience will be injured tonight. If you somehow recognize me then I'd like to confirm your suspicions. I am indeed Midoriya Izuku."

Bakugou had to look away as the speech was delivered. He wanted to cover his ears but at the same time knew he had to hear what was being said. It was just that listening to Izuku talk in that voice was unexpectedly alien and unpleasant.

He heard people begin to file into the room from the hall, but since it was out of sight it was out of mind. Bakugou had to focus on the dialogue coming from the television speakers.

"Now I'm sure your wondering why I'm here tonight and why I did what I did. I have no issues with telling you. As I said before Daystar was an immoral and neglectful hero, and as you'll soon find I have a specific vendetta against those like him. I myself am victim to the same type of negligence. If you know who I am then you also know that I was kidnapped about a month ago without a word. This was possible because of the inability of those around me to prevent such an event, and similarly heroes who were far too complacent in their ability to actively deal with threats to take proper precaution. Though I won't go into detail about my captors or experience, I will tell you that what I went through was entirely preventable had the heroes overseeing me cared enough to be proactive or consider the possibility of what occurred. The only reason I'm here today is because I managed to kill my kidnappers and escape, and it wasn't something that any hero set into motion. Those who can't even protect a single person close to them don't deserve the right to protect the masses, and they especially don't deserve the title of hero."

Bakugou flinched back at those words. It was as if Izuku was addressing him specifically. Something he had no right to do.

Sure Bakugou had felt terrible for failing to save Izuku, and the thought had crossed his mind that it relinquished his ability to be a hero, but Izuku had no right to know that. Izuku couldn't say Bakugou didn't deserve to be a hero. He had no right to judge him. Especially after what he'd just done.

He'd killed someone on live television, so why was Bakugou the one who felt guilty?

Bakugou answered his own question. Because whatever he'd failed to save Izuku from must've made him this.

He'd said that he wouldn't go into specifics about his experience, but Bakugou was sure that nothing sort of mental torture could cause the transformation he was viewing now. Only something extremely profound and impactful could make his stupid, optimistic, hero-loving friend into a killer.

But whatever was happening here hadn't just hurt Izuku, of that Bakugou was sure.

His classmates were already being effected, he could see it all around him. The teachers... No the entire faculty of UA would be dealing with the consequences of this as well. Not to mention Inko Midoriya... Bakugou felt horrible for the kindhearted women who had watched after him and her son on so many play-dates during his early childhood. She deserved this least of all.

Suddenly sirens cut into the audio, and Izuku's last words were barely audible as he turned to walk through a rift behind him.

"I'll be leaving you all now but please consider what I've said tonight. Thank you for your time."

The screen flashed and switched back to the reporter without warning, her wide smile still just as fanatical despite the length of the video clip.

"There you have it. A new villain has arisen from the ashes of the hero student formerly known as Midoriya Izuku. Since he has yet to propose a villain name for himself since his arrival, this news reporter would like to propose the placeholder name of Black Rabbit due to the aesthetics of his costume as well as the speed with which he committed his first crime. Hopefully more information on this case will come to light soon, but for now thank you for tuning in! Stick around for-"

The sound from the television cut off as Kaminari hit the remote's power switch, leaving a black screen in it's wake.

A strong yet fragile silence hung heavy across the room, as if everyone, even the newcomers, were afraid to speak for fear of breaking it. Because when it was broken, they'd have to come to terms with what they'd seen.

When the quiet felt as though it had lasted an eternity, Kaminari finally spoke.

"Okay so maybe that was Izuku but... It still wasn't. He was being brainwashed or mind controlled. He'd never say or do anything like that voluntarily."

There were some mutters of agreement among the students, but they were halfhearted. They shut down completely when Todoroki shook his head and began to talk.

"If he were brainwashed then I don't think he'd look like that. Something happened to him but he's certainly aware. And with the league of villains. The Portal that we saw greatly resembled the one from the break in incident."

Surprisingly it was Uraraka who interjected next.

"If that's true... You heard what he said right? He blames us for not being able to save him- No, more than that. The look I saw on his face when he said those words... That was pure hatred, no denying it. Whatever happened to him drove him to this and he thinks it's our faults."

Her voice remained steady and certain, analytical rather than emotional. Bakugou assumed she was acting so detached in order to cope with the idea.

"But it isn't like we didn't try. He saw what happened... We cared about him the whole time he was gone. We couldn't stop caring actually. And we've all been trying so hard to find him." A new conviction filled the girl's voice, her eyes narrowing."I hate to say it but he's wrong. We aren't the ones to blame for this. We did everything we could to stop it. None of you should feel bad about this. And besides he's still out there! We can get him back."

Bakugou got up and left the room, heading outside. He couldn't stand to listen to Uraraka's words knowing how hollow they were. Sure, she could put up a show and act strong for the class, but he knew that deep down she blamed herself as much as he did. It was hard for him to admire her putting on a brave face to fight when he couldn't.

Besides he had something to do now.

Inko Midoriya had to have seen the news by now he was sure, and he didn't want to leave her entirely alone as she processed it. Though he knew he wasn't exactly the most friendly presence, he hoped he'd be able to help a bit, or at the very least be a distraction.

Though he was sure the heroes would bar the kids from leaving the campus later in the day, they must've assumed that no one had woken up yet, because the exit functioned as it was supposed to. Though there was press waiting outside already, Bakugou simply pushed past them, refusing to look anyone in the eyes or answer questions asked.

Eventually he made it out of the crowd, which had followed him quite a bit, Bakugou was finally able to breathe.

* * *

Izuku had been met with overwhelmingly positive reactions upon his return the night before.

From what he gathered, his actions had delivered their intended effect. According to Toga, reports of his fight were still all over the news, and probably would be for weeks. He was being labeled a villain, and some had even already taken to calling him by a different name accordingly.

Based on this, Izuku was sure that his classmates had already heard about the incident as well, a thought that made him more than a bit anxious. He had, after all, essentially denounced and berated them on live television, not to mention the fact that they'd just seen their first signs of his new role.

Had the speech done it's job on their opinions of him as well? He had no way to be sure.

As promised, the success of the mission had opened new doors for Izuku, though just as with anything involving the League, they weren't without technicalities.

Izuku was now allowed to leave the premise, but only at certain times of day and night, when hero activity was lowest, and in certain areas, where heroes where less likely to patrol. Furthermore he would have to bring his communicator with him and keep it at all times, since it not only kept him in touch with the League if he was discovered or attacked but worked as a tracking device as well.

Kurogiri even went on to tell him that if the device was destroyed or geographically static for too long a period, someone would be alerted and sent out to investigate.

There was also the matter of wearing a disguise of course, but that had seemed like a given.

There really wasn't much for Izuku to do outside, since he had no money or friends to meet up with, but he grateful for the freedom nonetheless. The ability to go on walks and look at scenery when bored wasn't something he planned to take for granted, especially since he was bored so often. It was, in fact, an ability that he was taking advantage of that morning.

Because he'd done such a good job the night before, Kurogiri had decided to give Izuku a day off from training, letting him leave the compound after the beginning of his usual morning routine.

Only once he was outside did Izuku realize that he had no idea where he wanted to go. Though he knew the streets south of the area, he wasn't quite certain of what kind of stores or parks they encompassed, and there was no guarantee that he'd know the way back if he went to far into unfamiliar territory. The thought of getting lost and calling Kurogiri for help was so mortifying that Izuku ruled out the possibility almost immediately. But if he went north then he'd be heading into an area that was far too familiar, risking being seen by those he knew and stirring up memories of things he'd rather forget.

Eventually the want for movement outweighed the wariness he felt about his destination, and Izuku set off north with plans to avoid landmarks he recognized as much as possible while sticking to pathways he could navigate.

Walking was as good a time for thinking as any, and Izuku had plenty to contemplate.

While he'd felt horrible after the things he'd done in captivity, he found it difficult to feel much guilt for Daystar. It was true that he'd always disliked the hero in some capacity, and his past apathy towards victims would point to an emotional disconnect as well, but still it felt odd that Izuku had killed someone so beloved and popular and still couldn't bring himself to care. He didn't know whether to be happy or sad. He'd have to do this again of course, that much was unavoidable, and if he had to he'd like to avoid feeling remorse for his actions on some level, but at the same time he wanted to feel something, anything, for the people he killed so that he felt at least partially redeemable before he eventually died.

It was the same issue he'd been struggling with for so long, and this new development hadn't made it any easier to handle.

Once again he felt his mind drifting to how his family and friends might be reacting. He was sure he'd caused UA a lot of trouble, but he supposed that was unavoidable as well. Even if he was found dead beforehand or remained missing indefinitely, some backlash would have to be faced on part of the school. Besides, it was at least half their fault that Izuku had gone missing in the first place, though it didn't mean he hated causing them trouble any less.

He awful for his classmates. The way that he'd phrased his speech, though partially from his own experience, had been designed to attack them. He knew that those present during his capture, at least, would take the speech to heart despite how undeserving they were of any burden, and he hoped that they'd eventually come to blame him instead.

Izuku felt torn by the fact that though he didn't want to see his friends again, he couldn't be sure of his methods otherwise. He'd decided that if he ever did, he'd try to worsen his image as much as he could without hurting them.

He was torn from his thoughts by the sound of a metallic creak coming from somewhere near him, and abandoned his musings to look at his surroundings. Izuku had been so immersed in his ideas that he hadn't been looking up to check his location, and it seemed as though he'd arrived at the park near his house on autopilot.

When Izuku looked at the skyline, he could even see his apartment building not far in the distance.

While he was shocked that the villains had let him get so close to a place they knew to be familiar to him, Izuku couldn't help himself from walking over to sit on one of the nearby swings, the source of the earlier noise.

This place was rife with recollection of Izuku's early childhood, and it was difficult not to reminisce now that he knew how different his life promised to be.

Izuku was, in fact, so immersed in his nostalgia that he failed to detect footsteps nearby.

It wasn't until Izuku felt a hand on his shoulder that he turned to find himself face to face with the very childhood friend he had just been speculating about, Katsuki Bakugou.

* * *

Bakugou hadn't thought much of the figure he saw on the swings as he passed by the park. Sure, the person was a bit tall to be hanging around on the swings, but it wasn't like anyone else was at the park at the time. Maybe he'd just wanted to get away from the daily grind.

Just as Bakugou was about to walk past the structure entirely, continuing on his way to Inko Midoriya's apartment, a strong gust of wind had buffeted his face, sending the rusty swings behind him in a stir that caused more than a bit of annoying metallic squeaking.

His head naturally turned back to look at the noise in response, only to see that the hood of the person's jacket had flown off his head. That in and of itself wasn't very eye-catching, but the hair underneath was. Dark green and tousled, almost perfectly resembling Izuku's if one ignored the few centimeters or so of extra length.

Without thinking, Bakugou began to close the distance across the empty park. He was afraid to talk without startling the person out of their position, because in the unlikely event that it was Izuku, there was no telling how he'd react.

He was surprised that the person seemed intent on ignoring him, even when he was a few feet away from his back. Bakugou hesitated. There was no way that this could be Izuku, and even if it was, what would he do? What was he expected to do? Call the police?

But he had to do something. If this was Izuku he couldn't just pass up an opportunity to get him back.

In a spur of the moment decision, Bakugou placed a hand on the person's back. Even if it wasn't Izuku, he figured he could just say he thought he recognized the person and go on with his day. And if it was he'd have to keep him busy until the police or heroes arrived. Either way it wasn't a difficult task.

Then the person turned his head. And there they were. Those empty looking green eyes. The eyes that could only belong to the Izuku Midoriya Bakugou had seen on screen earlier that morning.

There was a second of indecision before Izuku jumped back off the swing, turning around to face Bakugou. Though he couldn't be certain, Bakugou could've sworn that the expression on Izuku's face seconds before had been panic. Somehow, he hadn't expected to see a familiar face here. But just as quickly, his face changed to resemble the one from the newscast, unwavering indifference.

"Hey Kacchan, I didn't expect to see you here."

Bakugou narrowed his eyes at the use of his childhood nickname, which sounded far too foreign when delivered in that cold, uncaring tone. Izuku seemed to want to display himself as confident and nonchalant, but the tenseness of his stance suggested otherwise. He was ready to bolt at any moment, or otherwise fight.

"Yeah, well you should've. I only live two blocks away." Bakugou retorted bitingly. "Skip the hellos and get down to business. What the fuck did you do last night, and why the fuck did you do it?"

Izuku rolled his eyes and gave a casual shrug.

"Did you even watch the news report? I'm pretty sure it could answer both of your questions much more effectively than I can."

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Bakugou growled. "Stop being a smartass."

Izuku just sighed and crossed his arms, eyes downcast.

"Fine. But that's really all there is to it. If you want something extremely profound or life changing then you came to the wrong person."

Bakugou hated the way Izuku was carrying himself. Everything from his to to his posture now indicated a mocking sort of boredom, and Bakugou hated being mocked.

"Okay then, I'll rephrase. What happened after you disappeared a month ago? And don't give me another shitty deflection or I'll hit your head against the pavement."

Izuku's eyebrows raised at the threat, but there was no other noticeable reaction.

"No deflection then. I just won't tell you."

Now Bakugou was just plain pissed. He took a step towards Izuku only for the other to take an aloof step back in turn.

"Okay look Midoriya, I don't know what kind of shit you think you're pulling here but it isn't funny! In fact it's really fucking selfish! For reasons that I can't discern considering what a dick you're being right now, there are a lot of people who really fucking care about you, and if you gave two shits about them then you wouldn't be out here right now refusing to give me the time of day!"

Izuku's expression turned pained temporarily, but the expression was as gone as fast as it had come, replaced with the uncaring mask that had proceeded it.

"Then there's no issue here. I don't care about you or any of them. I thought I'd made that clear last night, but I guess I was wrong. Feel free to pass the message on if you want."

Bakugou had to use all his strength to stop from charging at Izuku, who had turned away to look off a point in the distance.

"What about your mother then? You know she has to be worried sick about you!"

Barely missing a beat, Izuku responded by waving a hand as if in dismissal.

"She's just as responsible as far as I'm concerned. It's funny that you of all people would care though, considering how emotionally stunted you are. Or maybe you just want an excuse to distract from the fact that you miss me, huh?"

The way Izuku's tone changed from uncaring to derisive was too much for Bakugou to handle quietly. He finally ran towards Izuku, fist outstretched for a punch, only for the other teen to feint out of the way at the last second, sending him spiraling off balance. Whatever Izuku had been doing, he'd learned some new tricks.

"Wow, that was pretty sad. Guess it's no wonder you were unable to save me, huh?" Izuku taunted backing away a distance as Bakugou regained his composure. "I'd love to stick around and watch this sob show, but I've got better places to be. Namely anywhere but here. I guess this is goodbye since we hopefully won't see each other again, so good luck with the whole hero thing. You'll need it."

Bakugou prepared to run at Izuku again, but the teen was already disappearing through a portal behind him. He guessed that he'd missed the same motion that he'd seen on the television with which Izuku had called the League.

"Hey get back here you coward!" Bakugou yelled after him, but it was too late at that point. Izuku was gone again.

Bakugou couldn't believe it.

He'd been so close.

And then he failed.

All manner of scenarios ran through his head. Him calling the police beforehand, him being competent enough to actually land a punch or better yet aim for his communication device.

But either way there was nothing here to save now. Just an empty, stupid, sentimental park.

* * *

 **Once again thank you all so much for reading and supporting my content, especially since it doesn't do very well in the way of popularity! Those of you who give follows and leave comments are my motivation for writing, and it's amazing that you enjoy what I put out enough to read it!**


	12. Chapter 12

**-Chapter 12-**

Uraraka tried to focus on the warmth around her hands, knuckles white from pressure as she gripped the mug of coffee that rested on the table in front of her. Though it wasn't particularly cold outside, the girl could feel a distinct chill in the air around her, one that seeped deep enough for her to regret the fact that she couldn't place her pinkies alongside her other fingers on the cup's surface.

"And it was really Izuku? You're one hundred percent sure?"

Bakugou nodded, staring absentmindedly into his own mug, which was brimming with a bitter black variety of coffee in harsh contrast to Uraraka's choice of a far more sugary blend. Neither of them had drank much, the beverages having been brewed as a pretense for conversation rather than as refreshments.

"Yeah. I wouldn't say anything if I wasn't certain." The boy responded, eyes narrowing despite the casual tone of his voice. "I reported the whole thing to the authorities already, so don't go acting as if I was irresponsible about this either."

Uraraka sighed, lifting her coffee to her mouth before having a change of heart and lowering it back to the table.

"I wasn't going to. If you're good at anything it's pragmatism. Which poses a question. Why did you call me outside to talk about this? Wouldn't it be more practical to get everyone together and tell us as a group? It would save you some time at least."

Bakugou's brow furrowed, irritation now present in his voice. "Why do you think? I'm shit at stuff like this and everyone knows it. Besides if I broke it to everyone, do you even think they'd believe me? I'm surprised enough that you do already."

"That's a fair point. You really are shit at anything concerning emotions." Uraraka responded shooting the other a short lived smirk. "But why come to me? Sure we don't exactly get along. Well, with a few exceptions I guess but those hardly count."

Since their training session a few weeks ago, the two had met every so often to blow off steam. The fights usually ensued after minimal talking, a sort of unspoken agreement between the two. Uraraka had improved, putting much more effort into the battles than she'd like to admit, and now had an even number of wins and losses with the blond. The improvement had given her enough of a confidence boost that she'd felt ready to save Izuku when the time came, though she'd always known that it was unlikely that she'd be included in the operation. In a way Uraraka felt the only way to redeem herself as a friend to Izuku was to save him, since she'd failed to do so during his capture, but since the newscast that morning she wasn't so sure.

After putting so much time into helping her friend, it was difficult to face the idea that he may not even want help. Based on what she'd seen, the Izuku she knew may already be lost entirely.

And of course, here came Bakugou, telling her that he'd haphazardly encountered Izuku on a walk. She hadn't been informed of the contents of the two's conversation quite yet, but she was sure that whatever had happened must've been bad. Izuku's continued absence was proof enough of that.

While Uraraka felt that she should've been more curious to hear what her lost classmate had to say, she was also afraid. She wasn't sure what she'd do if she learned that she was right, and Izuku really didn't care to be saved anymore.

Though her main goal in becoming a hero had been to provide financial stability for her family, Uraraka had also been drawn into the career by the idea of protecting others. Her favorite hero, Thirteen, held such a respect from her because of their ability to save others. She'd always thought that a person's worth was measured by the amount of others they were able to help in their lifetime, and though her objective had originally been centered on her own family, the occupation of hero allowed her to help a possibly immeasurable amount of others.

Even with her widened scope of range, however, Uraraka always thought of her friends and family when she imagined rescuing others. To her they represented the best traits of humanity, the kind she wanted to protect and help flourish. She figured it was a bit selfish, but when faced with the ultimatum of saving a group of nameless civilians or a single friend in heroics, she wasn't sure which she'd pick.

Izuku had said it better than she could hope to. Someone who couldn't protect those close to them didn't deserve to protect the masses. And she fit that bill perfectly. Maybe she couldn't even blame Izuku for being bitter.

"Because you seem to be good at sugarcoating things I guess." Bakugou answered begrudgingly, crossing his arms. "And besides I don't wanna deal with all the hell that's gonna rise once everyone hears about this. If anyone cries I'm out."

"Oh. Thanks I think?" Uraraka shrugged. "If I were you I would've told Todoroki. He'd probably rip the band-aid off much faster than me. I'm no good at giving bad news."

"Well tough shit. I had a lapse in judgement and picked you, so now we're stuck. You can tell Icy Hot to do it if you want, but I doubt you will. You probably feel obligated now."

Uraraka sunk further into her chair, sliding her mug closer to the table's edge along with the movement.

"You're right. I hate that you're right, but you're right." She muttered, twirling her pinkies in the air absently. "If I'm going to be telling everyone about this then, I might as well know what to say. What all happened at the park?"

The brunette felt her muscles tense as she awaited a response, sure of what to expect but dreading it all the same.

"Without any mollification? He said he didn't give a fuck about us or his mom, then he insulted me personally and ran off into a portal." Bakugou leaned back in his chair, resting his feet lazily on the table between the two. "See? I have no idea how to spin that in a good light. I'm not calling everyone in here to watch them mope again. Besides, hearing about this the same day as the news story? Even I know that's going to be rough."

Uraraka clenched her teeth. What Bakugou said lined up well enough with what she'd seen on television, but for Izuku to say he didn't care about his classmates much less his family seemed far too out of character.

"Wait so what did he say exactly? Are you sure he meant that he didn't care about us, or could what he said be taken out of turn? How did he say it? Was there any hesitation?"

Bakugou tilted his head back, avoiding eye contact.

"He was pretty fucking clear. His face looked sort of off when he talked about hating us, but that doesn't mean much. It's kind of tough to read him when he's like that."

"So he was the same as on the news." Uraraka's eyes darkened. "All hollow looking I mean. It's like he's a totally different person."

"Yeah, I know. I saw him firsthand and it was like looking at an echo or something."

Uraraka brought the hot drink to her mouth, finally taking a sip before setting it back down on the table, her hands never leaving it's sides.

"They keep talking about giving Izuku a villain name, but no one's proposed echo yet. I feel like it might fit best considering what I've seen." Uraraka laughed, but it was sardonic rather than joyful. "I can't believe I'm saying that. I mean, who would've thought that Izuku of all people would ever become a villain?"

Bakugou raised his eyebrows, letting his chair fall back to rest on all four feet.

"Well he is one now like it or not. No matter who he used to be if push comes to shove we'll have to fight him like one. Don't forget that."

"Don't worry, I won't." Uraraka responded, sitting up straight and bringing up her fists to frame her face. "But if push comes to shove I also plan to do my best to save him. Maybe whatever did this to him is an issue we could help with. I've made up my mind that being a hero means helping others even when they don't appreciate it, and he can hate me all he wants but it won't stop me from helping him as much as I can. I don't give up on my friends."

"Fine. Though he isn't really my friend, I think I get the sentiment from a hero standpoint at least. For better or for worse I can't ignore this anymore than you can."

Bakugou stood, leaving behind his mug on the table. Uraraka was ready to leave herself and pushed her chair back to follow, but after taking a few steps away Bakugou halted unexpectedly, facing away as he addressed her.

"After you're done telling everyone, come outside to the track. Bring Kirishima, Yaoyorozu, and Todoroki if you can. Anyone else who you think is especially capable or trustworthy enough not to keep quiet is fine too. Try to be discreet if you can."

"Sure thing I guess." Uraraka hesitated. "But why exactly? Do you have some sort of plan for this or something?"

"I guess you could say that." Bakugou replied, resuming his stride. "Show up and you'll find out."

* * *

Izuku stepped out of the portal, head swimming with surprise. While he supposed his response to the encounter may not be warranted, he couldn't help but be shocked by it nonetheless.

Since he'd been abducted, seeing his classmates again had been more of a dream than anything else. Something he desperately wanted in theory but knew would only be detrimental in practice. There were so many things he wanted to say but couldn't for fear of being empathized with or pitied.

He'd chosen to make himself as irredeemable in the eyes of his classmates as he was in his own, and he'd stuck to his guns best he could with Bakugou. Of course he figured it would harder to make Bakugou like him than hate him more than he already did, so it hadn't been difficult.

By playing to Bakugou's underlying inferiority complex, Izuku had hoped to become more or less what the other student had always seen him as. Someone arrogant and self-assured enough to find Bakugou below notice.

Of course he couldn't give himself full credit. For the first time in a long time, Izuku had felt his old emotions resurface, as if they had been kick started by a familiar face. Though he'd tried to play off the natural nonchalance he'd acquired, most of it had been acting at the time. Especially when Bakugou had brought up his mother.

Though he'd tried to bury his positive memories to make the transition from hero to villain less difficult, he felt as though he'd done almost too well a job concerning his family. He'd hardly even considered Inko until his trip to the park, and even then he'd neglected to dwell on the effect his current actions might have on her out of denial.

When Bakugou had spoken about her and directly stated such an effect, it had almost been too much to take. While Izuku's earlier slip up concerning his peers had been in full view, he'd had the sense to turn around when he felt the expression of guilt over his mother's emotional state threaten to cover his face. He hoped that Bakugou had taken the action as one of casual indifference, but he really couldn't be sure.

The expression must've still been on his face as he entered a hall he'd had yet to visit, because Kurogiri wasted no time in asking questions.

"Why did you contact me? You look far too shaken to have merely been lost."

Izuku considered lying. The fact that he had encountered someone he knew might be enough to get his new privileges revoked, not to mention what suspicions might arise on account of his loyalty. Bending the truth brought other concerns however, like coming up with something believable and making himself sound truly convincing. While he had relative confidence in his ability to fool Bakugou, who often misinterpreted his intentions without reason, he didn't feel so sure about the more socially adept Kurogiri. Up until now, he'd practiced more truth omission than outright falsehood, and he'd never been too good at it in the past.

Besides, he had done nothing incriminating. Actually, he figured he'd probably done what was expected of him in the best case scenario. If he was caught in the act of a lie, then the villains were likely to think he'd done something far worse than he had in reality anyways, so in the end it was probably best to spare the trouble.

"I ran into a classmate while I walking. You've met him actually. Bakugou Katsuki." Izuku paused, making sure to look Kurogiri directly in the eyes. "I didn't tell him anything. I actually might've made myself look even worse than the footage from last night did, so you don't have any reason to worry."

After a few seconds of scrutinizing Izuku's expression, Kurogiri nodded.

"It doesn't seem as though you're lying, and if you are then you've improved exceptionally based on what I've seen from you in the past. Since I know this is a sore subject for you I won't ask questions, but if any evidence to contradict your claim comes to light then there will be consequences."

"Seriously?" Izuku stepped back in disbelief. "You're ready to believe me just like that?"

While he'd hoped for an outcome like this he'd hardly expected one.

"You haven't given me reason to distrust you in the past, and based on your situation it isn't so hard to believe that you'd want to distance yourself from others due to your uncontrollable episodes. Disregarding your new inclinations, you aren't a bad person."

"No I certainly am. But thanks either way I guess."

Kurogiri's eyes narrowed but he didn't argue, giving Izuku a somewhat questioning look before turning away.

"Since you haven't been in these halls before I believe it's my responsibility to lead you back outside."

Izuku followed, eventually emerging from the building somewhere by the courtyard. Come to find out it was the same one that had been introduced to him as the villain's living space, something that made adequate sense in retrospect.

After exiting, he and Kurogiri parted ways, and Izuku began to head back to the warehouse to consider his next target. The night before, he'd been informed that he was expected to hunt at least one hero a week, an announcement that he hadn't much cared for. Still though, he figured that if his reaction to last night was any indicator, he wouldn't mind much in the end.

When he was still a few yards away from his destination, he felt a hand on his shoulder, coincidentally the same one Bakugou had used to get his attention a bit before. Only this time, the weight of the hand suggested the presence of only four fingers.

"I heard what you said in there, and unlike Kurogiri I'm not stupid enough to fall for your lies." Shigaraki snarled. "I'm also not nice enough to ignore blatant insubordination."

Izuku wanted to respond back with something snarky as he'd done in the past, but he was also painfully aware of how close his arm was to being dust. Shigaraki's temper was well-known around the complex, and Izuku had been warned more than once to keep from upsetting him.

"I really wasn't lying." Izuku stated cautiously. "I didn't give away any information, about me or anyone else here. That includes this base's location and my Condition. If you don't believe me you can use a lie detector."

Izuku felt the grip on his shoulder tighten, but Shigaraki had yet to drop his last finger.

"Yeah right. That'd be more trouble than it's worth. It's much easier just to assume you're guilty and be done with it." He responded. "Besides, even if you are telling the truth I'm not sure it'd change things. Kurogiri might have protected you for awhile now but he can't if I say I was just angry at you for slipping up."

Izuku grit his teeth as Shigaraki began to fully grip his shoulder, determined to not show pain despite the intense burning sensation running through his arm.

"You seem to think you're so special, huh? You kill but somehow it's not wrong because you're being _forced_ to."

There was an implied sarcasm as Shigaraki said the word "forced".

"You might be a murderer, but you're still above us in your head. Well let me tell you something. You aren't the victim here, if anything you're the opposite. Sure the rest of us kill too, but none of us enjoy it. Based on the tapes Kurogiri took from Masquerade you're on a whole other level from the rest of us concerning immorality, so I don't want to see any more of that high and mighty shit. You're either one of us or your one of them, and I don't think they'd be as condoning of your habits are we are."

Shigaraki pushed Izuku's shoulder with enough force to send him spiraling into the dirt. He hit the ground hard, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his bloodied shoulder. After a few seconds, Izuku also recognized the metallic tang of blood in his mouth, and realized that he'd bit down on his tongue hard enough to leave a mark.

"This is a warning. If you do anything else suspect, give me any reason to believe you've jeopardized what we're doing here, then things'll be much worse. It's true that we need you but I'll never understand why Kurogiri wants you to help willingly." Shigaraki walked over to where Izuku had fallen, standing above him with his eyes narrowed. "And if I find out that you don't respond to pain, I'm sure you know someone who does. Your address was included in what we took from Masquerade, and I wouldn't want to make this a family matter."

He stared down at Izuku as if daring him to respond, but almost seemed disappointed when he didn't. Izuku wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Not where he could see it at least.

"Remember what happened here any time you're feeling especially disloyal. I don't respond well to bullshit."

With that it seemed Shigaraki had said what he came to say. He turned and walked back in the direction Izuku had come from, leaving him to bleed on the ground.

After catching his breath, Izuku managed to get back on his feet with only minor vertigo, though he was careful not to use the partially disintegrated arm. Upon further inspection, he found that Shigaraki's hand must've at the very least brushed the muscle of his arm at some point, and he was losing blood fairly quickly.

Despite the severity of the damage, Izuku could only focus on the villain's final piece of motivation.

His wasn't the only life on the line anymore, and he guessed that if he died prematurely, Shigaraki would still make good on the threat to hurt his family.

There was no way around it. On his next outing, he'd have to threaten his mother. That would cause the police to heighten security on her and would further accomplish his goal of appearing heartless. It was a win win. He'd just have to ignore the guilt that went with it.

But of course to do that he'd have to find someone to heal his injury. He began to walk over to the courtyard, the place he, Toga, and Dabi often went to eat lunch, which should be happening soon considering the time.

He saw Toga's startled face in the distance just as he fell unconscious, a few yards away from his destination.

* * *

"what's this about?" Todoroki asked, first to make it to the track. "Uraraka told me to come meet you out here but didn't specify why."

Bakugou was surprised to see the adamantly stoic expression on his peer's face replaced with one of still somewhat composed worry.

"Is everything she said about Izuku true?"

"If she said that he hates our guts now, then yeah." Bakugou crossed his arms assertively. "Hopefully you still care enough to want to help him though, because that's why you're here."

"Yes. I do." Todoroki responded with a curt nod. "Though I'm surprised you do."

"Well, he did the same for me." Bakugou could've snapped back but he knew it was useless to be rude if he wanted to keep his peers on his side. "Different circumstances, same concept."

"Hey! Bakugou!"

Bakugou sighed, though it was partially affectionate. Leave it to Kirishima to yell your name at you from a mile away and it still carry. By the time the redhead reached the other two, Bakugou was able to clearly see a much more overt expression of dread on his face. Immediately the teen began to ask a frenzy of questions.

"Was it really Izuku you saw? Did he actually say all that stuff? Why wouldn't he come back with you?"

Annoyed by the inquiries, Bakugou put a hand over Kirishima's mouth.

"Okay shut up. Obviously someone didn't do a good job of explaining things so I'll pick up the slack now. Yeah it was Izuku, yes he did, and I don't fucking know. Now calm down."

Kirishima nodded vigorously as Bakugou removed his hand, clearly not any more mellow from the experience.

"So is Bubblegum bitch telling you all separately or something? I don't want to be here all day." Bakugou asked, shaking his head in irritation.

"No, she just didn't want to draw attention so she told us all to exit separately. So many people coming outside is a bit suspicious when we can't leave school grounds." Todoroki answered. "It seems like she, Momo, and Iida are all arriving together though."

Bakugou looked and sure enough there they were, Iida, Yaoyorozu, and Uraraka. Though he wasn't so sure about the former's inclusion, he found himself trusting of Uraraka's judgement. He knew she was capable, even if she insisted on including the absolute worst person regarding secret keeping in on their plan.

When everyone else reached the meeting point, Bakugou made sure to make things all business.

"So at this point I know you've all heard about Izuku and I'm pretty sure none of you are ready to give up on him yet. That's why you're here. Based on what we know about Izuku's new ideology, I believe we can predict his future targets after at least one more attack, since he's implied that he plans to keep attacking heroes. If we suspect anything we tell the teachers without letting them know that we plan to be involved as well. This is because I believe that regardless of what he says, Izuku may react better to us trying to save him than strangers, especially since he didn't attack me during our last meeting despite being given ample opportunity. Any questions?"

Yaoyorozu almost immediately raised her hand.

"If we're discussing who we believe he'll attack next, I already have some likely candidates in mind. I began compiling them after we saw the newscast earlier. It... Was hard to do nothing when I knew what was happening."

Bakugou nodded approvingly.

"Good. Put together a list or something if you can, written not digital. If everyone pitches in we'll probably solve this quicker. If you were a close friend to him especially, we need people who know how he thinks."

"Though I feel bad directly defying authority like this, I'm sure that Uraraka, Todoroki, and I can help with that. We were all fairly close." Iida volunteered.

"Yeah, sure, why not." Bakugou responded. "I mean you're not wrong."

After the ball got rolling the group began to cover ground, eliminating and highlighting different possible hero targets in Yaoyorozu's notebook. Before the group even realized, it was dark outside, and the majority of the group headed inside, leaving Momo, Bakugou, and Uraraka outside.

"Thanks for the help." Bakugou addressed the two, sounding genuine despite his gruffness. "Hopefully we can actually do something with this."

"I'm sure we can. There's no point in being negative!" Uraraka exclaimed, punching Bakugou lightly on the shoulder, almost playfully. "We'll do this yet, I'm certain of it!"

Bakugou couldn't help but think that Uraraka was putting on a show for the other girl.

"I have one last question Bakugou." Yaoyorozu stated as she gathered her things. "What were you going to do when you saw Izuku at the park? Your original reason for being there I mean."

"I was going to check on Izuku's mom." He replied, turning his eyes to face the ground. "I couldn't though, not after that encounter."

"There's no blame here." Yaoyorozu agreed. "I wouldn't have been able to either."

The mood had darkened after that, and everyone headed quickly to their rooms, minds still focused on the task at hand nonetheless.

* * *

 **As always thanks for reading! Leave feedback if you can!**


	13. Chapter 13

\- Chapter Thirteen -

Izuku hadn't been certain how the League would handle the injury he'd taken, but it didn't seem to be much of an issue.

Toga had more or less said that she had expected Izuku to get hurt worse than that by Shigaraki at some point or another to the agreement of Dabi, and Kurogiri had expressed his inability to do much more about the encounter than help Izuku heal.

For the more serious areas of injury Kurogiri had enlisted the help of a black market healing quirk user, but because of the already exorbitant price Izuku had been forced to let the more superficial parts of his injury heal the old fashioned way.

Luckily after the initial healing help the injury was hardly debilitating, and Izuku was still able to train and exercise effectively with only minor pain. In the past an injury like that would've slowed him down, but after his meeting with Shigaraki he was extremely driven to plan and execute his next attack. The sooner those he cared about were safe the better.

Since Izuku had dedicated himself so entirely to the analysis of fitting targets upon his arrival, the task of finding his next target was hardly taxing. The most difficult part was singling out a hero who both fit his criteria, and was set to have a public appearance in the near future. Similarly to his last excursion, Izuku needed to make a public statement in a manner that was both effective and powerful, which meant that simply leaving a message behind at the crime scene was unacceptable.

Without access to the internet, planning was near impossible, and so Izuku was forced to turn to Toga for help. Not that it was necessarily a chore at this point. While he'd been unnerved by Toga's erratic personality upon first meeting her, he found himself more or less inured to it at that point. Though talking to her in her more energetic states was difficult, her rare moments of clarity had shown him that there was a reasonable person underneath the eccentric facade, and that had been enough to dispel most of his fears.

Now he was even beginning to admit to himself that he enjoyed talking to her at least a bit, as was becoming the same with the others he regularly interacted with. While Toga's volatile and intense emotions were off-putting, Izuku had eventually figured out how to navigate around them. Though more difficult than a regular conversation, the challenge of getting Toga to focus on a single subject was somewhat fun in a similar way to listening to Dabi's sarcastic backlash or Twice's internal banter. He was finally starting to consider them to be friends, or at least acquaintances.

That didn't mean, of course, that he was never angered or annoyed by the villains, and he still found their actions to be generally deplorable, but he supposed that it wasn't really wrong to understand them on some level, especially since Shigaraki had implied that he wouldn't be able to get away from them anytime soon.

Besides creating the need to protect his mother, Shigaraki's threats had also forced Izuku to reconsider his plan to die to a much greater degree. If he did so in a way that made it appear purposeful, or possibly regardless or the perceived intentions, Shigaraki could go through with the threats he had made as a sort of revenge. Based on his illogical and petty behavior in the past, Izuku couldn't out rule the possibility at least.

Before he did anything risky he would have to ensure that his loved ones were safe, and he figured he may even need to hold onto caution around the subject afterwards.

When Izuku had asked around for Toga, he'd been directed to her room, a place he'd been careful to avoid in the past due to it being situated so near to Shigaraki. At first he was surprised to hear about Toga hanging around somewhere other than the courtyard or dining hall, but quickly realized how short sighted his assessment was. Since he'd usually only spoken to the villains when forced during mealtimes or training, he'd failed to ever seek them out on their own time. In reality Toga could've spent most of her time in her room or even outside the complex, but Izuku would've had no idea.

In fact she had asked him out on several group trips after his injury had healed sufficiently, but he had turned them all down for fear of encountering another familiar face. He hoped that once things got a bit calmer, he'd be able to take her up on the offer.

When Izuku arrived at Toga's room, the door was closed and loud, upbeat music could be heard on the other side. Izuku knocked twice, making sure to hit the door hard enough that the motion could be heard above the din.

"It's Midoriya. I wanted to use your internet for a bit if it's okay?" He announced courteously. "I need to do some research on my next target."

There were sounds of shifting from the room before the music cut off completely and Toga's voice issued a response.

"No problem Izu-kun, the door is unlocked!"

The invitation to enter made Izuku a bit nervous. Despite the fact that his recent interactions with Toga had been overwhelmingly positive, he was still a bit afraid of how Toga's room might be decorated, and though he knew he wasn't in the dorms anymore it still felt rude entering a girl's room. He'd expected her to come outside with her phone, not call him in, but he really didn't have the power to decline if he was the one asking for help.

After biting down his initial misgivings, Izuku plucked up his courage to open the door and reveal... A surprisingly normal bedroom.

Pastel seemed to be the main theme of the room, with each wall being a varying shade of light, desaturated pink. Posters of what Izuku assumed to be different band logos were pasted neatly to the walls, and a string of fairy lights ran across the place where wall met ceiling in neat arcs. A small and outdated television sat in one corner of the room near a fluffy beanbag, playing muted cartoons. A small closet boasted an array of clothing options, and was positioned next to one closed door which he assumed led to a bathroom. In the middle of the area, Toga was sitting on a wire framed bed atop a white comforter, a laptop nestled against the pillow she was arched over.

Aside from the sparsity of the decorations, Izuku guessed that the place looked like what one could expect from an average teenager. Though he knew it shouldn't at that point, the normality of the girl surprised him. Sure she was a villain, but when it boiled down to it she was still her own person with independent interests and hobbies. It was a bit startling to realize how often heroes tended to dehumanize their adversaries.

"Welcome to my place! I know it isn't much but you can't really blame me with how often I've had to move. Besides, I don't make enough to buy much in the way of decoration." Toga shifted a bit on the bed, turning to face Izuku. "You okay with sitting over here with me to share the computer? Unless you're still worried I'll bite of course."

"No, It's fine. I doubt you'd be able to make me look any worse than I do right now anyways."

Izuku had meant for the reply to sound friendly and teasing, but instead it came out as bland and disinterested. In retrospect it had been such a long time since he'd really been happy or motivated enough about anything to try to put any emotion into his voice other than anger or passive annoyance that he wasn't certain he could use a sympathetic tone anymore.

"Well what are you waiting for? Don't just stand there staring at me like a space cadet." Toga patted the area on the bed next to her, grinning a somewhat menacing grin that Izuku had found to reflect amicability in Toga despite it's objectionable appearance. "I like hanging out with you when we're talking or doing stuff, but that doesn't mean I enjoy watching you breathe."

"Oh. Sorry."

Izuku walked over to the bed with a few quick strides, trying to mask the feeling of vague unease that had enveloped him with the arrival of his recent epiphany. Only a short time ago he'd been desperate to feel anything at all, but here he was entirely unshaken by the idea that he was now unable to emote.

Maybe it had been a result of recent developments, but at this point Izuku wasn't even sure if clinging to humanity was worth the effort. Things were so much easier to face if he just bottled up his feelings and ignored them rather than face them. If he couldn't feel, then he couldn't feel guilty. He couldn't be kept up for numerous sleepless nights thinking about hi affliction. He couldn't blame himself for things, or wait until he was on the brink to perform a kill due to empathy to only worsen the end result, or want to die more and more with every passing breath because of the crushing weight of what he'd done, and was still doing, bearing down on him relentlessly.

If he had to live on, then maybe it was best to stop caring. That's what Toga did, and Dabi, and Kurogiri. But they did still care in a way. They were devoted to a cause they thought was right. Since Izuku didn't think anything he was doing was redeemable, he might as well stop caring entirely.

But then again, there was the rush he felt during a kill. He doubted he'd ever stop feeling that now. And he had to care, at least a bit, to keep his loved ones safe. The ones he refused to ever stop caring about no matter what, and always would care about until he died.

Izuku shook his head lightly as if to dispel his more macabre thoughts, focusing instead on the computer screen as he lowered himself to sit beside the blond girl. As he looked at the currently open Youtube tab, Izuku's eyes met with something he hazily recalled, but couldn't quite place.

"Party Blitz by Miss Meow?" He observed, reading the video's title aloud. "Why do I recognize that from somewhere? Not the song title but the artist I think."

Toga cast Izuku a confused glance.

"You don't know about Miss Meow? I guess it kinda makes sense if you aren't into pop idols, but I thought you'd hear about her for her hero work at least. She's pretty popular but low in the rankings because she devotes a lot of time to her pop group too. Apparently her dream was to always be a singer but she was pushed into heroics or something? When she was first out she was really talented and ranked up quick, but then she used the fame to moonlight in the music business. Eventually she got so far into the industry that heroics became her secondary job instead. She thinks that heroics really ins't the path for her but keeps it up because of the money and prestige. There are loads of interviews about it."

"Yeah, I think I remember now. I can't believe I forgot about her, especially since she seems like she'd be such an ideal target. Her quirk had something to do with probability manipulation, right?"

A jokingly pouting look fell over Toga's face as she clicked her mouse, exiting out of the tab before crossing her arms agressively.

"Oh come on, you're not really considering killing her are you? I like her music you know, I even invested in tickets for her upcoming tour. At least wait until then to do it if you have to!"

"Wait upcoming tour? How soon?"

Izuku's brain was already flying into a frenzy of analytics, trying to consider what he could recall of her quirk and fighting style. Miss Meow, or MM as she was often nicknamed, was a cheerful and generally outgoing individual. Her quirk, known as misfortune, caused those in her line of sight to have a higher probability of encountering unfavorable circumstances based on the intensity of her emotions. Paired with her considerable agility and combat skills, Meow's quirk would make her a formidable hero, and it was no wonder that she was pushed in that direction for her career.

While Izuku couldn't imagine anyone having such a well rounded quirk and not wanting to go into the field of heroics, he had no personal vendetta against the pop star. Nonetheless, an upcoming concert would pose a perfect opportunity to deliver his message, and the star's reluctance to use her training to help others did fit his previously stated ideals for the unforgivable hero.

"My ticket is for three days from now, but... You're not really considering attacking her at the concert right? You got lucky with Daystar since his house was so far out from the city and heroes never go to his parties, but that won't be the case with MM. The venue is pretty accessible by heroes and police, and I'm sure she's got fans in the profession who'll be in the crowd. Then again if anyone could pull it off it's be you, and you know I'd never pass up a chance to see you bloodied up onstage."

Toga made valid points. Izuku wasn't sure whether or not he'd be able to pull of something so risky, and now that more than his own life hung in the balance it probably was best not to shake the boat. But still, the higher the risk the higher the reward. Izuku was sure he could make his point without pulling off such a dangerous stunt considering how popular a topic of conversation Toga told him he was.

But still, he needed to attack a hero who he knew the location of, and one who was in a position to be recorded. Fighting a hero on patrol would work, but would have a similar, if not higher, risk factor to attacking someone at the concert anyways. Heroes on duty were known to be pretty trigger happy when it came to calling for backup, and since they were already suited up ready to fight it was impossible to have the same element of surprise that attacking a hero at liberty did.

All things considered he'd been very lucky that his debut had been set up as perfectly as it had. Since he was unlikely to find such an ideal situation again anyways, he might as well try for the concert. He was sure he could pull it off with his new abilities as long as he had a plan, and possibly some outside help.

"You're doing it again." Toga commented bluntly, tilting her head to look Izuku in the eyes. "You have that weird glazed look on your face that tells me you're thinking something complicated over. Care to explain?"

"I was just thinking that I'm fairly certain I can make this scenario work as long as a few conditions are met." Izuku met Toga's gaze with one of his own. "One of them is that you agree to help me. While I don't exactly have things planned out yet I do have an idea of how they could go, and you wouldn't be doing anything especially difficult or strenuous. If you want I can even wait until the last song to make a move, since you said you enjoy the music and all."

"Sure, I'll take you up on that offer. I haven't done anything fun in awhile." The girl responded easily, smiling from ear to ear. "But if I'm going to help you, I have a question to ask first."

Izuku raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Sure, I don't see why not."

"Good." Toga's eyes narrowed, her gaze becoming more intense as it met Izuku's. "Why are you so insistent on making such a public appearance? It made sense last time since we more or less made you, but now you have the option to be as covert as you want. Why disregard it? You hardly seem like the type to hog the spotlight or revel in attention, you're too modest, and I know it isn't to spread your earlier imposed ideals since they seem to be a facade for you, at least in the way that you presented them. If you were going to turn yourself in or reveal our location on live television, we'd pretty much be wrecked. I'm not saying I think you're going to turn traitor necessarily, but I've always found it hard to trust a person who's actions I can't logically justify. So, what's your game?"

The tension in the room had increased dramatically at those words, though Izuku felt almost as much anxiety on Toga's part as he did on his own at the words. She might be trying to intimidate him, but on at least some level she was terrified by the thought of being betrayed. The reaction made Izuku wonder what kind of past Toga had lived, and whether or not her lack of trust was a reflection of it.

She was showing a bit of vulnerability as well by revealing her thoughts on him, something he was sure she was aware of. Her question was designed to test the waters of Izuku's loyalty, and a threat was implied in the case that he didn't tell the truth.

Once again he doubted lying would do him any good, especially considering how adept at reading people Toga obviously was. Besides, this truth was hardly a dangerous one as long as long as she kept it to herself.

"Shigaraki threatened some people I care about so I want to do the same publicly in order to incite law enforcement to protect them." He fiddled with his fingers as he spoke, though his gaze never dropped from Toga's. "If he figures out about it he obviously won't be very happy, so I'd appreciate it if you kept this between us."

Toga seemed to visibly relax as Izuku explained himself, her smile turning from a tight smirk back to a natural grin.

"No problem. I wouldn't want to get you in trouble for no reason, and from what I know about you your reply seems pretty valid. Just don't say anything stupid enough to make me look bad for believing you."

"I can't make any promises, but I'll try."

Izuku attempted to smile back reassuringly, but was fairly certain that it didn't reach his eyes.

"I guess with that out of the way, the next step is planning." He announced, shaking off the lingering oddity of the motion. "Are you willing to spitball some ideas with me? With whats at stake I need this to be as full proof as possible."

"Sure thing, it'd be my pleasure Izu-kun!"

* * *

Aizawa Shota was having an even more difficult time than usual of staying awake as he graded the manifold of assignments on the desk in front of him, and it wasn't just due to the bland and often repetitive responses that his students had been inclined to produce in recent weeks.

Or, well, he supposed that was part of the issue, or at least a result of it. Nothing had been the same around UA after the Midoriya incident's initial occurrence, and things only seemed to worsen with each new development.

Before the lost student had reveled himself, the school had at least been capable of pretending they had control of the matter. Despite the popular media outlet's best efforts to the contrary the general public had always widely approved of UA, even after the public knowledge of a student's kidnapping was leaked. When the staff had made promises that the problem would be easily fixed, most people hadn't batted an eyelash. As far as their expectations were concerned, the story of Izuku Midoriya was likely to end happily with some popular hero or another arriving just in time to save the day, all while providing them with an entertaining story to balk at over dinner.

Of course there were still skeptics and naysayers, but even the majority of them had been inured to the threat of real danger or tragedy by the ever present security put in place by heroes. Even as a hero it was hard to blame them for complacency. When casualties occurred in the field, they were often covered up or ignored by the government in favor of maintaining positive public opinion. The speed and ease of information sped up the process, allowing only days to focus on a sob story before another uplifting one appeared to steal the spotlight, and people were normally far too ready to accept an easy platitude over a harsh truth.

The only time a more depressing story ever took the spotlight for long was when it was left inconclusive, or when it was so unprecedented that it couldn't help but draw attention to itself.

While the Midoriya case had been filed under the former category in the public eye for majority of it's beginning, recent developments had shifted it to the latter one. A UA student disappearing and turning traitor had never happened before, and morbidly enough the citizens of Japan seemed far more interested in making a show of the situation than trying to fix it.

Though some lamented the sorrow of the whole thing on social media in attempts to garner attention, others still agreed with or admired Midoriya's newly stated stance on heroics, professing their support for his actions and their proportional hatred of UA. While most pretended to care, people treated the whole thing as a fad or interesting fiction, choosing to place the blame for what had happened in the easiest and most obvious place possible, heroics courses.

All the while the news was blaming UA as well, going so far as to challenge it's authority as an institution. A couple of students from general studies had already unenrolled, leaving vacancies that couldn't be filled readily so late in the year. Even parents who had left their children at the school called often to check on security, worried that the newly arisen villain might return for revenge in some capacity.

Dealing with Inko Midoriya had been especially stressful. She wasn't any less livid now than she had been when the school had initially informed her of the kidnapping, dealing a few surprisingly choice words about having allowed he son to attend in the first place. She was certain that something unspeakable had happened to him based on his recent actions, insisting over and over again that whoever she'd seen on television wasn't Izuku, or at least not her Izuku.

Despite her strong insistence that UA should've prevented the issue originally or saved Izuku before whatever had happened to him had, it was fairly obvious that her anger was an outlet for worry and distress as much as it was genuine. When Aizawa had entered her apartment to talk to her, her face had been red and puffy, indicating tears, while her eyes had sported dark circles to rival his own.

Still, all he could do in the way of fixing the issue was ensure that the school, as well as unaffiliated pro heroes, would do their best to resolve it, which he was certain would never be enough for anyone at this point.

Even the usually unshakable All Might seemed to be concerned, more so, maybe, than even Aizawa. Despite his retirement he'd involved himself in the planning for the earlier false alarm search, and checked up regularly to see how things were proceeding. Aizawa supposed it wasn't odd considering that he had served as a teacher to 1-A as well, and even he cared about the well being of the students though he wouldn't admit it.

While Aizawa was capable of dodging reporters and ignoring negative feedback from the media, the most current main concern that he actually had any power to affect was for the performance of his class.

Though it was understandable that the students would be distracted by their peer's kidnapping and reappearance, Aizawa couldn't condone the drop in grades, focus, and sleep that the stress was creating. Though he felt it was likely better for the student's mental health to have time to process what was happening, they couldn't really take time off for risk of falling behind other hero schools. Decline in grades would stick with them for life, especially in such a competitive setting.

Midoriya Izuku had not only brought the school's reputation down, but might as well be pulling the other students along with him. While more reliable students maintained high enough marks, slackers could not, and even Momo, who was top of the class, was falling behind in physical training due to evident lack of rest.

At one point Aizawa had appointed Iida to ensure that the school's curfew was being upheld, but even he had been unreliable in the task.

Focusing back on the papers in front of him rather than on his thoughts, Aizawa continued grading, sighing as red marks began to pile up on the current paper. Though he wasn't anywhere near done, he decided to take a short break. He didn't know if he could handle reading any more spelling mistakes for the day before giving up and taking a nap, so it was probably better to find some sort of distraction first.

He dropped his pen lightly back onto the desk before heading over to his apartment's single couch. Though he normally didn't watch cable often, he wasn't in the mood to view anything that might make him disregard the ungraded papers in the long term. Without sitting down, he picked up the television remote off his coffee table and turned on the box.

His television, which had apparently last been some news channel or another, was displaying a headline similar to the one it had boasted during Izuku's visit to the party four or five days ago, but this time in a different location. A fight seemed to have ensued involving a boy with green hair as expected, and the footage was supposedly pretty fresh. Aizawa fished his cell phone out of his pocket, set to silent so he could grade papers in peace. Naturally there were over twenty missed calls.

"Shit."

There went any hope of being productive for the day.

* * *

Izuku struggled to keep his breathing inaudible as he crouched on the catwalk above the stage. Though he could've had Kurogiri transport him in further along in the concert, he'd made the decision to arrive earlier to scope out his environment, a choice he was quick to regret.

Everything about the performance from the songs to the audience felt trivial and fake. While at one time he might've enjoyed the frenzied excitement of the environment, now it only gave him the impression of emptiness. So many people dedicated to something so pointless and ineffectual simply for the sake of entertainment felt like nothing but a complete waste of time. Nothing about the event was thought provoking, or life changing, or meaningful in any way. It was all just mindless escapism.

The worst part about it all was how badly he wanted to be able to relate to these people but couldn't. He would give anything to have a life so ordinary that something so vapid could feel exciting and moving, not to mention how the people gathered were at liberty to forget their troubles and be swept up in the thrill of the moment. Any negative feelings he had about their enjoyment stemmed from jealously, and the fact that he was aware of it didn't make things any more bearable.

Besides, the obnoxiously loud music blaring around him made it difficult to concentrate on anything at all, much less his strategy.

When Izuku and Toga had run their idea by Kurogiri, he'd agreed to allow them to execute it on the condition that he would be quickly alerted were any of it's steps to fail. Though he'd seemed surprised by the fact that the two were working together, he hadn't objected to Toga's involvement either, and had even provided the two with the equipment they'd needed.

There was the issue of Shigaraki being unaware of the exploit, but Izuku figured that whatever reaction he had after the plan was through would be worth the ability to operate without being in a later stage of the command's effects. It seemed as though Kurogiri had purposefully kept the plan a secret from the other villain to help Izuku, and he couldn't help but be grateful. What he had planned would take much more clarity to carry out than his last endeavor, and he was certain it wouldn't work were he in a more desperate state.

To pass the time until his cue, Izuku decided to study his target onstage, but quickly gave up. Just as Miss Meow's hero and idol names were the same, so were the themes of her outfits. While both resembled back cats with their fake ears and tails, the idol dress was much less practical and more decorative. The distinction did little other than make him realize how unfair a fight he was going to initiate even considering how much better backed his opponent was sure to be, which served no real purpose in the long run. It would be more useful to watch Toga at work.

As per his instructions, Toga would currently be weaving through the crowd planting covert smoke bombs at different locations. Though she'd gotten in with a ticket, Izuku had had to carry her bag for her through one of Kurogiri's portals to avoid the discovery of the devices, handing the supplies to her at a rendezvous point before the show began.

If at any point security became suspicious of Toga, she had been instructed to use her quirk to prevent her capture and keep up anonymity. From what Izuku could tell it hadn't come to that yet though.

Toga was surprisingly talented at staying hidden, even with her attention drawing appearance. Her disguise for the outing wasn't even too varied from her regular appearance, just a floral dress paired with a cat themed surgical mask and pink glasses. It seemed as though what really sold the whole thing was her drastic change in mannerism, both vocally and physically. Then again, her hair was down as well, which could've contributed quite a bit to the ensemble.

She had already successfully planted the majority of the smoke bombs, and there was only one more left until they would be ready to detonate at the show's finale, which, Izuku realized with a start, wasn't really too far off based on the current music. Toga had given him a rundown of the songs that would be playing so he could keep track of the time, and if he was correct this was the second to last number, which meant that prepping would have to begin on his end as well.

Since MM's quirk activated on a sight basis, only effecting targets that were visible to her, Izuku would have to stay a safe distance away until he was sure he could end things quickly. If that method failed, then he would risk close combat, but he didn't want to resort to that unless absolutely necessary.

Hopefully the distraction of the smoke bombs in the crowd would confuse the women enough to render her emotion-based quirk ineffective in that case, but there was no guarantee. The plan also largely banked off the idea that the crowd would either assume the smoke bombs were a part of the show upon their activation, or be too distracted to realize what was happening until it was too late.

It was both a blessing and a curse that the stage was high enough above the crowd that the smoke wouldn't obscure visibility atop it, since both parties would be able to see clearly in the event of a fight. If security came to help before Izuku could finish the job and say what he needed to, then it was Toga's duty to fend them off. When everything was done, the two would call up a portal and escape together or separately depending on where they ended up.

As the final song began, Izuku started making his way down a ladder leading backstage, receding back into more shady areas when crew members and performers passed by. Most people were too busy or focused to even look in his direction as they passed by, and he had made his way behind a stage prop near enough to his target to attack, but far enough away to avoid notice from the crowd.

After the song's final line rang out across the stage, he heard a surprised din of yells accompany it in the crowd. Peering around the side of the prop, he saw that the smoke bombs had detonated and were beginning to quickly permeate the large room. While some people looked a bit confused, others seemed excited, expectant of the event foreshadowing another number or encore.

When the tendrils of smoke finally reached the foot of the stage, Izuku leaped out towards his bemused target. If he could get there soon enough without being seen, he could probably finish things quickly with a blow to the head or spine.

But of course he was never so lucky. The hero turned around midway, her mouth open as if about to ask what was going on, before her eyes met with Izuku's and her expression changed from perplexity to a mix of determination and fear. She reacted surprisingly fast, eyes turning from their natural dark brown to a glowing yellow to signify the activation of her quirk as she shifted into a fighting stance.

Just before Izuku's leg swung out for a kick, something collided jarringly with his torso, pinning him down against the stage. He reached out to push off the weight as quickly as possible, coming to find out it was a stage light as his hand connected with sharp, shattered glass.

Though he winced, he still managed to rid himself of the object and roll out of the way of MM's oncoming attack, though his actions sent him closer to the stage's edge than he was comfortable with.

"You! You're that kid from the news, aren't you?" The idol hissed, advancing once more to attack. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but you aren't going to get away with it!"

Once again Izuku got himself to his feet in time to sidestep the women's first punch, but they didn't seem to be stopping. The more he back stepped to avoid the attacks the closer he became to the precariously tall drop at the stage's edge, a fall he wasn't eager to experience. noticing a weak spot in the women's guard, Izuku attempted to exploit it, but once again was met with the same awful luck as before.

The microphone and it's stand, which had fallen in the earlier chaos, were now directly in his path, and he tripped over them as he went in to punch. As an upside the fall did throw his opponent off balance enough to stumble back however, and Izuku was able to make a mad scramble to the other end of the stage as she regained her balance, though not before picking up the microphone to take with him.

After he was sure he was a safe distance away, Izuku stopped, holding the item above his head as his opponent approached. Based on how loud the music had been playing earlier during the performance, the microphone would've had to have been set to amplify noise by an obnoxious amount. When MM was just out of combat range, Izuku yelled into the microphone as loud as he could. Though the noise wasn't pretty, it was extremely jarring, echoing across the room from numerous speakers at what sounded like full volume.

The unanticipated sound caused the hero across from Izuku to cringe, covering her ears and closing her eyes in surprise. He didn't waste the presented opportunity, using the opening to deliver a quick, quirk boosted kick to the women's head.

Unlike with Daystar, the first hit was fatal, and as soon as Izuku saw the women's neck snap back he was met with the familiar feeling of a kill. It wasn't until the adrenaline wore off that he realized with a jolt of discomfort that he hadn't hesitated at all when landing the blow.

Regardless though, he had to make his announcement while he could. He took the microphone he had used seconds before, turning down the volume to a point that he thought would carry well without being accompanied by music, and turned to look into a camera rigged on a platform in the crowd. The smoke was finally clearing, so he knew he'd have to be quick.

"Hello everyone. Though I'm sure you all know me by now, I'd like to introduce myself just in case you're a bit behind on the news. My name is Midoriya Izuku, and if my actions are any indicator, I'm a villain." As soon as he began speaking, Izuku saw people in the audience begin to flee towards exits or scramble to pull out their cell phones. "I'm sorry to ruin tonight's show, but I have some important information I'd like to impart before I leave. While it's true that my current attacks are going to continue, I'd urge whatever heroes are listening to consider that from now on they will be more varied. In our society, heroes aren't the only ones with flaws, and this is something I experienced myself. While heroes will remain my main targets, you can also expect me to go after those who have wronged me in the past regardless of civilian or in-training status. Thank you for your time. Please don't make the mistake of taking my warning lightly."

With that Izuku turned the mic off before tossing it away, hitting a button on his communicator.

"Hey Toga, you ready to go?" He asked, partially focusing on the panic ensuing below. "It'd probably be best if we could meet to leave onstage."

"Way ahead of you!" A voice answered across the feed. "I'm coming on right now!"

Toga entered from the right wing, bounding over to join Izuku in the middle of the stage. Based on the amount of blood on her hands and clothing, she had needed to hold off security at at least some point during his fight.

As soon as Toga was close, Izuku buzzed the button on his transceiver that alerted Kurogiri, and a portal appeared for the two to walk through.

They were only just gone when reinforcements began to fill the stage.

* * *

 **As always thanks for reading, comment and follow if you can.**


	14. Chapter 14

**-Chapter Fourteen -**

When Izuku exited the portal, what he noticed some things that were immediately off putting.

Firstly when he usually returned from a trip, he arrived in the courtyard, but this time he had emerged into the darkness of the warehouse.

That wouldn't be odd on it's own, but then there was the second thing he noticed. Shigaraki was waiting for him.

Izuku stood staring for a few seconds in tense silence before he heard Toga step into the room behind him.

"Oh hey, did you see what we-"

"Shut up."

Shigaraki cut off Toga's greeting quickly enough for her to look surprised.

"I don't have the patience to deal with your shit right now. But don't worry, if you want to be yelled at we'll talk after I take care of this issue."

Shigaraki gestured a hand at Izuku as he said "this", his voice practically brimming with contempt.

Toga stood her ground, crossing her arms.

"Look jackass, I'm not going to be ordered around by-"

"You are if you want to stay here. Now get out."

Though Toga shot Izuku a look that read something like "Sorry, at least I tried", she still complied to Shigaraki's order, sauntering out of the room at the slowest rate possible. Izuku hoped she had more of a say in things here than he did, or she'd probably be dead by the next day.

He, on the other hand, would probably be dead in the next few minutes. Not that that wouldn't be a profitable outcome, but he assumed there must be better ways to die than disintegration.

"So, what made you think you what you just did was a good idea?"

Izuku wasn't sure if there was a correct answer to that question, so he simply remained silent, holding eye contact with Shigaraki.

"That wasn't a rhetorical question." Shigaraki growled. "I'm genuinely curious."

Figuring he had nothing to lose at this point, Izuku went with a far more impolite answer than he would usually give.

"Maybe I just wanted to do the incredibly difficult and focus oriented job you forced on me without being the interchangeable equivalent of intoxicated for once in my fucking life."

The words and tone of voice were entirely foreign to Izuku's speech, but nevertheless it felt good to use them. For some reason, whatever fear he'd felt before in Shigaraki's presence had faded, replaced by a strong, burning resentment.

With a start, Izuku realized just how nice it still felt to vent anger, even with his recent emotional blockage.

He expected Shigaraki to advance, yell, maybe curse. But instead he stayed where he was, narrowing his eyes. It was somehow more alarming than the aforementioned expectations in it's uncharacteristic nature.

"You can say whatever the hell you want, but it isn't going to do you any good once you realize the power balance that exists here. Actually, let me help you out. You have to do what I say, or you stop getting those slaughter sessions you seem to enjoy so much. If that happens, you'll inevitably have to kill someone, and at that point, the blood is entirely on your hands, not to mention you'll have no protection from legal repercussions. Unless, of course, your plan in that case would just be to off yourself."

Izuku felt his breathe catch in his throat.

"I'm not as stupid as you seem to think. We have cameras in this warehouse. And based on the footage, you don't seem like you care too much what happens to you."

Izuku knew he was referring to the self-harm, and that he shouldn't be shocked besides, but he still hated himself for showing such an obvious weakness.

"Just to clarify, if you do take that route at any point, I won't hesitate to target everyone I can guess you cared about at some point afterward. I can't promise when but as soon as possible they'll be dead. Somehow I feel like it'll be a lot easier to kill a middle aged women and some high schoolers than a hero. And you've proved yourself that even that isn't too difficult. Do you follow?"

Izuku nodded haltingly, all his earlier devil-may-care confidence transforming back into fear.

"Good. But luckily for you, there is an alternative. Prior to now, I've been letting Kurogiri deal with you. But surely enough he's proven that his constructed tests of loyalty mean jack shit, so now I have one for you. Picture this. In almost any scenario where you don't agree to this plan, I kill everyone you love. If you're not dead at that point, then I also throw you out into the street as an added bonus. If you try to kill me, and somehow manage to be successful, then my colleagues do the same thing I would've done. But like I said, this can all be avoided if you take the alternate option. To prove that you won't cross me again, you follow through with that promise you made onstage. Kill one of your classmates, and the rest are spared. Knowing you, I'm sure you can find some way to enjoy it. Furthermore, you get to stay here and gruesomely murder as many people as you want. As long as you keep up with your errands of course. Now, I'm assuming we have a deal, don't we?"

Izuku didn't know how to respond. Either answer, yes or no, would destroy him. But he guessed that was the point.

"Well?" Shigaraki questioned. "I'm waiting. This really shouldn't be a difficult choice."

He was right. But it was.

"Fine." Izuku's voice was strained, full of uncertainty and fear that he absolutely despised. "We have a deal."

* * *

Uraraka blinked wearily against the harsh rays of the afternoon sun, resting the point of her pencil against one of the few remaining blank spaces on the notebook in her lap.

"You really shouldn't have stayed up so late Uraraka." Momo commented, a look of concern overcoming the usually calm plane of her face. "I know you're concerned about what happened last night; we all are. But you shouldn't sacrifice your own health in an attempt to remedy it. We may be dealing with this issue right now, but that doesn't mean the rest of our lives go on hold. We still have school to think of after all."

Uraraka nodded in acknowledgement, resisting a yawn that threatened to emerge from her throat at the mention of sleep. She would've stayed up for a whole month if it meant making headway on finding Izuku, but she wasn't about to tell Momo that, especially since she had the goodwill to be worried.

"Besides..." Momo's voice trailed off, leaving a chasm of empty space in it's wake before she decided to conclude her thought. "After what we heard, I'm not entirely sure that putting so much energy into this is..."

"Worth it?" Uraraka finished, gripping her fingers tighter around the pencil. "I know a lot of people might think so, but to me there's no question. If we can save a friend we should. Whether they want saving or not. End of story."

"That isn't what I was going to say!" Momo assured, a flush rising over her features as her eyes darted leftward away to avoid making contact with Uraraka. "I'm just not certain that it's the best idea to help someone who obviously doesn't want it. Especially when such high risks are involved. With Bakugou things were different. He wanted to be rescued; he was willing to cooperate. At this point though, I'm beginning to think that even if we could find Izuku, he might... Fight back."

Uraraka knew that was a possibility of course. After all he'd basically said as much last night on national television. But it couldn't be true. She knew it couldn't.

"Look Momo, I know where you're coming from. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't considered the same things. But I - no we - know that he would never say those things unless he was forced to. To Bakugou or to a camera. He'd never hurt anyone from our class, much less his family."

"Well if you said that a month or so ago I'd have believed you." Momo smiled fleetingly, but it was hard to tell whether the action was rueful or nostalgic. "But then again, a month ago I wouldn't have believed Izuku could bring himself to hurt anyone much less..."

And there hung the unspoken truth. He'd killed two people. Two heroes. Neither of them were willing to say it for fear of making it more real than it already was.

"I'll do whatever I can to help Izuku, but not if it puts my other friends in danger." Momo continued after a long, weighted pause. "Please promise me you won't overwork yourself. If not for your sake then for your friend's."

Uraraka released her grip on the pencil, feeling her previously defensive mood release along with it. People really weren't kidding when they called Momo a mom friend. She always cared for her classmates, even when they made it difficult.

"Fine, you make a tough case. But I don't think I'll need to much longer anyways. I'm pretty sure I know when and where Izuku is going to show up next already."

"What? Really?" Momo gasped, leaning over to look at Uraraka's notebook. "Are you certain?"

Uraraka snatched the heavily annotated pages out of the other girl's reach, taking care not to smudge the graphite littering their surfaces as she did so.

"Yes, but don't look at it yet! It's sort of something I thought we should talk over as a group!" That was partially true, but Uraraka was honestly more concerned with the impact her theory might have on the student's moral. She'd rather get it over with all at once than have to tell everyone individually. "Well, if the others ever get here that is."

The two girls had been waiting in the usual spot outside quite some time, but they were a bit early. Most of the group had opted to meet later than usual after some especially rigorous classwork that day, but since the motion had never been approved as a group Uraraka, and evidently Momo, had showed up at the previously set time.

"I'm sure they won't be much longer, but in the meantime I'm on the edge of my seat." Momo replied, looking over in the direction of the school. "I already texted Todoroki about the new meeting time, but there's nothing I can do about the others. We'll just have to wait I guess."

A few minutes passed in silence before two forms could be seen approaching from the dorms.

"Iida and Todoroki?" Uraraka guessed, pressing her free hand against her forehead as a shade. "No, wait that's Kirishima and Bakugou. Who would've guessed they'd be the punctual ones."

Momo grinned in a way that just barely seemed forced, standing up to wave at the two arriving classmates.

"Don't be so enthusiastic." Bakugou scolded as he sat down adjacent to Uraraka. "This isn't supposed to be fun."

"No, but we don't want to make our purpose for meeting too obvious either. If it seems like we're getting together for recreational purposes, then there's sure to be less suspicion." Momo reasoned, re-positioning herself back on the ground. "Besides, Uraraka thinks she's made a breakthrough. We might know where Izuku is going to be next."

Uraraka clutched her notebook tighter, pulling it close to her chest.

"That's true, but we aren't discussing anything until everyone is here." She declared, meeting Bakugou's analytical gaze with a confident one. "If we're doing any of this as a group we're doing all of it as one."

"Yeah!" Kirishima spoke up. "I agree. We're all in this together, right?"

The redhead shot a toothy grin at Bakugou, which was met with a unconvincing sigh.

"Sure, whatever. I just want to get this over with so we can start on an actual concrete plan."

Kirishima nodded his head, his good mood still undeterred.

"I'm excited to get to the plan too. With you and Yaoyorozu on the case we're pretty much sure to succeed!"

Uraraka wished she could have even a hint of Kirishima's seemingly boundless faith and confidence. He'd been one of the only ones seemingly unaffected by the broadcast last night, immediately dubbing it as forced and fake. Uraraka felt like his disposition might've been an act, but it was too realistic to really disprove. Besides, she knew that he had been good enough friends with Izuku to think the same thing she did. Iida and Todoroki would likely agree, Izuku Midoriya would never hurt someone he cared about.

"Yeah I'd say we have a pretty damn good chance too if it weren't for what Deku said last night."

Despite the previously encouraging mood, everyone froze at Bakugou's mention of what Izuku had done.

"What? Don't all act so shocked when I mention what's going on. It happened and it'd be idiotic to say it didn't. Besides we need to consider his speech, don't we? I'm sure Uraraka did when she was forming her theory last night if she came to the same conclusion I did."

Uraraka looked away, desperate for the topic to shift to anything else. She didn't want to have to voice her concerns. Not when they were so contradictory to her beliefs.

"He said he was going to fight people who didn't agree with his cause. Hero or not. He actually went out of his way to say heroes in training if I remember right. And who do you think that means?"

Uraraka wanted to speak up, to say something in Izuku's defense, but the words caught in her throat.

"Us. Helping him is going to be an uphill battle whether we like it or not. Don't delude yourselves."

"Even if that's true doesn't mean we can't help him!" She finally cut in, letting the annoyance leak into her voice for the first time. "Even if he chose to be like this, even if he somehow ran away in the first place, even if he DID want to hurt us, we would still save him! Not because we're delusional, or stupid, or even because we're friends, but because we're heroes, or at least hope to be! We're supposed to save those in danger, and no matter how much he tries to prove us wrong that's what Izuku is until we know the truth."

"Did I ever imply anything different?" Bakugou responded, a look of begrudging respect evident on his face. "I agree that we have to do something about that little shit, I was just saying it'll be difficult."

Uraraka wasn't sure whether the outburst had been brought on by lack of sleep or simply her own mounting annoyance, but she wasn't going to take back her words either way.

"Agreed. Sorry we're late, we were held up."

The voice belonged to Todoroki, whose presence Uraraka had failed to notice earlier due to her investment in the conversation at hand.

It looked as though Bakugou was about to scold the two for arriving so long after the arranged time, but was cut off by Kirishima.

"No problem guys, we're glad you're here. Out of curiosity though, what do you mean by 'held up'? Did something happen back in the dorms?"

"Tsuyu stopped me when I was leaving, and asked me where I was going. I told her I was on my way to the Library to study for our upcoming exam. Iida then entered the room and said he'd be joining me. Needless to say Tsuyu didn't exactly buy it."

Uraraka wasn't surprised. It had only been a matter of time until someone got suspicious, and Tsuyu was by far one of their most perceptive classmates.

"She said that she would like to study as well, and walked over with us. We had to pretend to browse the library's non fiction section for quite some time before she decided to leave."

"Well, that's not the worst thing that could've happened." Kirishima commented amicably. "And hey Iida, good on you for keeping quiet man."

Iida, whose eyes had previously been downcast in evident guilt, looked up to nod in acknowledgement at the compliment.

"Though it is difficult to lie to a classmate, it is something I am willing to do for the greater good."

Uraraka couldn't help but look at Momo in response to their class president's somewhat guilty demeanor. As she'd expected the girl looked slightly perturbed, her classmate's anxieties becoming her own. It certainly wasn't prudent to be empathetic in situations like this, but Uraraka herself felt a similar secondhand guilt as well.

'It's worth it to save Izuku.' She thought, attempting to sate her worries. 'And once he's back everyone will see it. After all, that was what I've been arguing for.'

Uraraka couldn't help but begin to wonder if her earlier words words had truly come from a place of annoyance, or one of self doubt. The only person who'd openly supported her stance on the whole thing so far was Bakugou, and that was hardly encouraging knowing his past.

"Let's stop wasting time and get to the point." The aforementioned blond snapped, directing his words at Uraraka. "This is kind of important."

"Fine. I'll get to it then." Uraraka was a bit annoyed by Bakugou's casual impertinence, but chose to ignore it in the interest of civility. "As said before I do think I know where Izuku will be next. I have to warn you all though, you might not like it."

Uraraka paused, hoping that someone would interject and alleviate the burden of the group's attention, but when no one did she was forced to continue.

"I'm sure you all remember what Izuku said this time around right? He talked about targeting people other than heroes, and even made some specific... Threats."

Some of the group, namely Momo and Iida, nodded courteously to show their agreement with Uraraka, and once again no one spoke up to contradict her.

"While I'll admit that I don't believe he would willingly hurt us, I do think that someone wants him to. Probably someone from the League of Villains. If you look at it that way he's probably being forced to do this whether he wants to or not. He could've even chosen not to give a warning. I think he only said something because he was going to have to fight us soon anyways, and wanted to tell us beforehand so we could prepare and do something about it."

That comment was met with much more skeptical expressions, but still no one made a move to disagree.

"We all heard last night that Izuku's mother is under police surveillance now, and she's been moved to another place of residency for her own safety. If Izuku has no way of knowing where she is, then the only rational conclusion would be that he's going to have to find us instead... If my theory holds up, that is."

"Yeah thanks, we've pretty much already figured as much on our own." Bakugou scoffed, receiving a reprimanding frown from Momo in the process. "The real question is, when is it going to happen?"

Uraraka began to fiddle with the pages of her notebook, her eyes shifting downward under half-closed lids.

"Izuku doesn't just do things. He thinks them through. Looks for the best possible option. The past two attacks he's lead have been during events that have been televised, at times that were sure to leave an impact. He, or whoever is making him do this, wanted him to be seen. This time though, I think he'd benefit more from a distraction. Since the USJ incident, UA has been taking measures to prevent teleportation within school grounds. There isn't much they can do other than constant surveillance though, so as long as you had something else of a greater priority than general surveillance happening, it wouldn't be hard to sneak in. From there you could cut the power, or simply hope the distraction lasted long enough to keep you from being spotted. I'd say the latter is more reliable considering the fact that we have backup generators here at UA, but the former is pretty sketchy too considering the magnitude of a distraction that could cause such a fuss, and if someone had thought of this route it'd also draw attention to you. Alternatively, you could stand in one of the camera's blind spots outside the gate, and try to lure a target out. If it was late, and the target had a motive to go after the person outside, as we would in theory, then it wouldn't be difficult. Of course that risks the fact that you can't promise your target won't come to meet you with a group, and Izuku would know that we can't leave the school grounds past curfew without triggering a reaction. Or really at all in this case. We'd also have to be actively watching and waiting for him."

Uraraka, who had been rushing through her words to the point of near inaudibility, stopped to take a breath, looking up to see her friend's surprised faces.

"Wow, you really took a page out of Izuku's book for this one, huh?" Kirishima noted, raising his eyebrows. "Not that that's a bad thing, I'm glad you thought this through so much."

"Well I was trying to think like him... So it was a success then?" Uraraka grinned, gaining a bit of confidence. "There's a lot more than that actually. But I guess I should probably cut to the chase, huh?"

"Don't worry about us, we trust in the relevancy of your information." Momo responded, offering Uraraka an encouraging smile. "Just say what you feel like saying. You were kind enough to do the research so it's our job to listen."

Uraraka gave Momo a look of gratitude, but not before checking to see Bakugou's current mien. Oddly enough he seemed to be prepared to listen, his face holding a distinct kind of intensity as it studied her own.

"Based on Izuku's last two attacks though, I don't think he'd want to take any unnecessary risks. Or, someone doesn't want him to anyways. If at all possible, I's guess he'd rather meet us on his terms, out of our home territory, which in this case would be UA. The staff are already trying to limit outside travel on our parts, and I'm sure they'll only get more strict considering recent advances. But though it would be difficult to find a day we weren't it school, it wouldn't be impossible. I mean even with whats been going on, our parents have still pressed for home visitation days. Some parents have already pulled their kids out of school due to what's going on, so it almost has to let us roam occasionally or risk loss of enrollment. The question would then turn to when we would be allowed to leave, which in all honesty I don't think is too difficult to figure out. After all, there is a holiday coming up soon, isn't there?"

"Yeah, Children's day is this week!" Kirishima answered. "It's even on a Sunday too, so it'd be a pretty big deal if they didn't let us go home to be with family."

"Exactly." Uraraka stated. "Not to mention the illusion of normalcy the faculty seems to want to keep up. They basically have to let us off."

"While all that is true... We still don't know who Izuku would target." Momo commented. "I think I might have some guesses as to who... But I'm sure you've already figured it out, right Uraraka?"

Uraraka doubted Momo's "guesses" were anything less than exact, in fact it wasn't unlikely that her classmate hadn't considered more possibilities than even she had, but even so she decided to take up the offer to keep talking.

"Well if we're still working under the assumption that Izuku is being made to do this against his will, which we basically have to at this point, then he'd probably want to pick someone that he knew was talented enough to beat him, so he could at least fake a loss or something if the villains have some way of monitoring what he does. Now I'm not saying that I think the tournament rankings are at all declarative of our talents and abilities in comparison to our classmates, but for the sake of narrowing down the list let's say the only people we consider are the ones who placed above him in the tournament's conclusion. This would make Todoroki, Iida, Tokoyami, and Bakugou the most likely candidates at this juncture of the argument. But we also have-"

"To consider our relations to Izuku, right?" Bakugou cut in, his voice set in a neutral, even tone. "That would automatically make me the target."

"Well, uh, yeah." Uraraka couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for her classmate despite his unruly nature. Even if he did deserve backlash for what he'd done in the past, this was certainly far too harsh. "But I think he also believes that you're more capable in combat than anyone else, and that's not even considering how... Determined you can be in the right situations."

Bakugou just shrugged and glanced away.

"I'd make the same decision if I were him. This theory runs on a fuck ton of assumptions anyways, so it's not like it's final either. And even if it were I wouldn't really give a shit."

Uraraka decided to save herself the embarrassment of an argument and simply ignored the denial she felt at the phrases.

"You're right about the assumption thing, but it's the best we have right now. If you've got a better theory, feel free to tell me."

"I don't."

"Fine then. All in favor of basing our plan off my theory?"

The entire group raised their hands, though some more reluctantly than others.

"Well that settles it. Motion passed." Uraraka concluded, turning her notebook to a new page. "Now who's ready to come up with a plan?"

* * *

 **Okay, so first of all I'd like to say that I am extremely sorry for the long silence, and though it's hardly an excuse, it was largely due to the fact that I am currently undergoing my junior year of american high school.**

 **Far more difficult courses than in the past paired with a far greater involvement in my school's theatre department have left with me very little writing time, especially considering that I tend to write best at 3am, which doesn't work well on a school night.**

 **All of this had led me to almost completely drop this fic multiple times, but now, depending on it's popularity and the personal enjoyment I receive from writing, I'm likely going to see it through to the end.**

 **While I can't promise that updates will be as regular from now on, I hope that fans of this work can still continue to enjoy it to it's fullest potential!**

 **Thanks so much for continuing to read! Please leave feedback if you enjoy!**


	15. Chapter 15

**-Chapter 15-**

"Hey, watcha up to?"

Izuku turned startled as Toga entered his makeshift room, more due to his frayed nerves than any real surprise. Ever since they'd returned from the concert two days ago Toga had been seeking out Izuku with increased intensity, offering to do whatever tasks he was assigned around the compound, playing an extra vigilant part in his resumed training sessions, and suggesting that she could go outside to buy whatever amenities it seemed he needed at the time since he was no long allowed to go beyond the fence.

While Izuku would've never suspected it before recent events, he now had a feeling that Toga's actions were meant to act as a sort of apology for the turnout of their mission. She had heard about Shigaraki's deal just as he was certain all the other regulars at the League had, and she knew based on their earlier conversation just how reluctant Izuku was to fulfill it.

The seemingly genuine concern surprised Izuku, especially considering how superficial the two's friendship had been just a few weeks ago, but he appreciated it nonetheless. To be completely honest, the constant distraction of her presence was really the only thing holding him back from having a complete mental breakdown.

While he had gone to training as usual, Izuku had been spending every waking moment with his notebook in hand, comparing every student in UA's class 1A in their entirety and pondering over the unanswerable question: Who would survive and who wouldn't?

Every time he came close to making a choice he would then be sequentially overwhelmed with guilt, recalling some detail of the person in question that made their continued survival nonnegotiable. After rinsing and repeating through the cycle of evaluating personal merits multiple times, Izuku began to compare the class combat wise, but that only created more issues. While Izuku wanted to ensure his own victory in order to protect the remainder of his class, he didn't want to feel like he was going to fight someone who had no chance, as it would only serve to make him feel worse in the long run. Besides, he could hardly account for any recent personal advances made by his classmates, and any amount of time made room for improvement.

Eventually the thought of having to kill any of his classmates at all had simply been too much, and Izuku had taken to lying in bed staring blankly up at the ceiling rather than consider his options any longer. Even this action was stressful though, since in the back of his mind he was still aware that he was limited by a deadline.

"The same thing I've been doing since Sunday night. If you expected any other answer then I hate to tell you you're not getting one."

Izuku settled back into his earlier position of staring up at the ceiling, but still caught a glimpse of Toga's pouting face out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah I didn't really." She responded, striding over beside his bed to sit atop the railing of the loft. "But you should still come with me and Dabi to lunch. We're gonna bring back some street food from the city to eat. He'll pay."

Izuku shook his head, not moving his point of focus from the space above him.

"Can't. I'm sort of busy right now. Besides, I'm not really hungry."

Izuku heard a metallic clang as Toga vaulted back off the railing and onto the grated floor, flinching in mild shock as her face appeared a foot or so above his own.

"You haven't been hungry in days. Come to think about it, you haven't seemed to be anything for days." Toga's voice, though almost winning the fight to maintain composure, was laced with a plane of concern. "And that isn't a good thing."

The near admission of worry surprised Izuku, but not enough to move him from his spot.

"Look I know you might not understand but-"

"You're right. I don't."

Toga's face contorted, thinly veiled annoyance rising to it's surface.

"But it's not your concern I don't understand. It's you."

That comment was the one which finally got Izuku to sit up.

"Wait-What?" He sputtered, meeting Toga's narrow eyed gaze. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Toga rolled her eyes as if the answer was obvious, her arms crossed tightly in a defensive position. From the look she was giving, Izuku could tell that for the second time since they'd met the girl had dropped her facade in favor of honesty.

"It means I don't understand why you care so much about those pretenders when they've done nothing to deserve it!" Toga gestured a hand at Izuku's notebook, lying open on a page which detailed the names of quirks of his classmates. "You do so much for them and it makes no sense!"

Izuku felt like he should've been angry upon receiving the answer, but instead simply felt confused.

"I'm sorry, what? Where did this come from?"

Toga scowled as if the answer was obvious.

"We have records about you that date back to middle school, and we know about how you got your quirk." Toga elaborated. "I know how you were treated, how'd you'd still be treated if things hadn't changed, and I know that none of them would've given a single fuck about how unfair it was. _Him_ especially."

Her finger flew out towards the open notebook and landed on Bakugou's name.

"I understand that your supposed reason for turning to villainy is different, but if I were you I'm sure I would've done it much sooner if I'd been treated the way you were for being quirkless."

Izuku flinched back at the word, and Toga's expression turned from one of annoyance to pity.

"Look the thing is, that's... Actually sort of what happened. Not really, but a similar concept. Way back when I turned four or so, I found my quirk. Unlike most of the kids in the class, mine wasn't cool, or cute, or flashy. I remember specifically the first time I used it. I had gotten into a fight defending a friend on the playground. For little kids it was pretty brutal, and at one point I drew blood when biting someone. It was more or less on accident, but I think you can guess what happened from there. Some people thought my quirk was creepy, others thought it was gross, but either way it changed the way they saw me. Even my best friend, the one I'd been defending, decided she didn't want to hang around me anymore. It hurt her reputation. The guy I'd fought cornered me after school that day with some others in my class. He beat me up so badly I'll never forget it. Before he walked away he warned me that if I ever used my quirk to look like him again he'd do worse."

Toga's eyes were now pointed in the distance, slightly glazed.

"Kids can be cruel. I know it just as well as you do, except for me things never got better. I never got a magic quirk change, and I never wanted to risk my life just so I could save the same kind of people who would've tormented me in any other scenario. That's one of the main reasons I decided to be a villain. Because I knew that people like that would want to be heroes, and that they shouldn't be allowed to. It's also why I looked up to Stain so much. He was making things right. At least I thought so."

Toga's eyes shifted back into focus, boring into Izuku's.

"Those kids at your school? They don't care about you for your personality or drive. At least not totally. They like you because of your quirk. It's cool, it's flashy, and it makes you like them. Before you had it, you were a nobody to them. They don't deserve you and they never will. In my book, they might even deserve what's coming to them, especially that Bakugou kid. When you were younger your mother complained to the school-board multiple times about his behavior. It's in your records. And I think I know what he must've been doing, and why. Yet no one ever told him he was wrong. Even your teachers turned a blind eye to the behavior. You can't seriously tell me you aren't going to take the chance to make him answer for his actions."

"Look Toga I almost wish it were that simple but-"

"But what? It _is_ that easy. You have to kill one of them no matter what, and even if they all deserve it you know which one deserves it the most. It's time you left them behind and started focusing on people who actually care about you. People who see you for more than your quirk. And however hypocritical that may sound those people are here. We may have brought you here for the wrong reasons, but you'd be a real dumb-ass to think we don't care about you now. Well, most of us, at least. Even though half of the League won't admit it, we really like having you around, and I think we deserve you more than they do." Toga was blushing a bit now, obviously outside of her realm of comfort. "They shouldn't have the power to make you feel like this. They don't even know who you really are."

"That isn't true." Izuku shook his head. "I mean sure, maybe it's partially true for Bakugou, but the rest of them... They're good people. None of them deserve to die."

"Maybe you're right. But one of them has to anyways. The problem here is your way of thinking." Toga backtracked, trying at another tactic. "I know you don't want to kill anyone, and I suppose that in certain circumstances that could be a good quality. But that doesn't apply to you anymore. It's not just something that's good for you, it's necessary. This is you now, and mourning your old life isn't doing you any good. You've been through denial, anger, bargaining, and depression. Now I think it's time for some acceptance. I can tell that you've been holding back significantly for some time now. Whatever quirk gave you this impulse is pretty strong, and it's hard not to notice that you're constantly fighting it. You seem to consider giving in more and more frequently as time progresses, and I think you should. Hating a part of yourself as much as you do isn't healthy. Besides, I'm sure that if you just let it be a part of you things would be so much easier. You could actually enjoy this new life, and maybe eventually you'd even like it more than your old one."

Izuku had to admit it was true. It took a great deal of constant mental effort and vigilance to stop himself from snapping, from letting go and enjoying the impulse without the guilt. It would be easy, so much easier than fighting, and he already knew that he would be happier if he did. Though he hated to admit it the high he got from killing was quite possibly the happiest he was capable of being, even considering the time before he was kidnapped. He wouldn't even be able to regret it if he decided to let himself fall. But that was why he always told himself he couldn't.

If Izuku opened the flood gates and let himself meld with his curse instead of fight it, he would become someone else entirely. In order to kill without remorse, he'd have to set aside his morals entirely, forget about the connections he'd formed outside of his new life, and lose his humanity once and for all. Convincing himself to believe in Toga's ideology wouldn't be difficult then, and he knew it. It already sounded so saccharine and perfect and pure, the idea that killing could be seen as just, as good, as right. He could leave behind his memories of Ima, and the guilt that came with them. Then he'd really be a monster.

But did fighting it really stop him from being one already?

No matter how he felt about them, his actions had the same consequences. He might as well stop caring if they did, because the end result wouldn't change either way. He could be happy here instead of miserable. He could accept this reality for the good instead of the bad. Then there would be no other reality to go back to. No more of the constant torment of mental strain, and guilt, and nostalgia for a place that couldn't ever accept him again.

"You're right." Izuku agreed, his voice bitter. "I would. And maybe I should. But not until this one task is over."

Izuku picked up his notebook, taking the pencil resting beside it and underlining Bakugou's name with a heavy stroke.

"After I've killed Bakugou and made sure that everyone else I used to care about is safe, then I'll let myself give in."

Toga smiled, clasping her hands together in evident satisfaction, her usual good mood restored.

"I'm glad you've seen reason. I just want you to be happy."

Izuku got the idea that she wanted to add "And here" onto the end of her sentence. While Izuku still would've given anything to go back home and leave this whole experience behind him, he still would've felt awful for leaving Toga behind. While the girl might've been a bit crazy, it was obvious that she needed someone to be her friend unconditionally. Maybe that was another plus of him choosing to stay here, at least he'd be helping her.

"Now that you're done making that decision, do you want to come with me to lunch? The offer still stands." Toga called, nearly skipping across the catwalks to reach the metal stairs a few yards away.

"Yeah, I think I will." Izuku responded, setting his notebook down beside him as he stood. "There really isn't anything better to do here."

"Exactly." Toga responded. "Now hurry up, I'm done with this depressing atmosphere."

* * *

 **I am so sorry for putting out such a short chapter, but really it kind of needed to happen since I wanted the next chapter to have as much impact as possible and I feel that this scene would've bogged it down a bit. I promise next chapter will be irregularly long to make up for it.**

 **Sorry that Toga is so OOC in this story, but I really wanted to give her a more layered personality than she appears to have in the show, especially since she's playing such a central role here.**

 **As always thanks so much for reading! If you enjoy this work please leave a review, and spread the word about this fic if you can.**


	16. Chapter 16

**-Chapter Sixteen -**

Izuku felt his muscles tense as he stared down at the house he knew far too well. He'd visited it surprisingly often as a child, both before and after he'd realized he wasn't getting a quirk. Of course, the memories from the latter time period weren't quite as fond.

He tried to remember that as he scanned the windows for signs of light, or rather lack thereof, praying for the telltale signs of a household at rest. If Bakugou was asleep, things would be so much easier.

As Izuku had begun to realize with the civilians provided by the Leauge of Villains, it was far less difficult to delude yourself when someone was awake. When they weren't looking you in your eyes, begging silently in their final moments for some semblance of mercy that he simply couldn't provide.

Eerily enough, he'd found he'd enjoyed the killings less when the victims were asleep too, though he wasn't sure whether that was a good or bad thing.

After he had looked over the house two or three times from his perch on a nearby roof, Izuku was satisfied with the reassurance that none of the house's occupants were awake, or at the very least alert.

He fought to push down a powerful and sudden tinge of disappointment at the loss of a fight, something that had become more impulse than choice.

While something similar happened with most prospective murders, Izuku knew that the exhilaration he felt at the thought of killing Bakugou was different. He was sure that that was in part due to his natural respect for the combat ability of his former classmate and the ensuing anticipation for combat it caused, but the remainder of the feeling was more compulsory.

A few hours after he had decided on his final target, Izuku had thought back to a particular piece of dialogue from his conversation with Toga. She had said that Bakugou had deserved to die, or something similar at least, and it had come to mind how much simpler the whole process could be if that was true. Or if, at least, Izuku had believed it was true. And considering how accustomed he had become to lying to himself, he figured that training himself to believe it might not even be all that difficult.

And so he'd tried to the best of his ability to forget the good times and dwell on the bad. Though he had been training physically quite a bit more than usual his mind had been somewhere entirely different.

He'd mentally relived every taunt, every punch, every humiliatingly pitiful encounter from his middle school days until whatever he was training against faded from his vision to be replaced by Bakugou.

Oddly enough, the method not only seemed to help him prepare mentally for the fight ahead but also physically. After thinking for so long on the tormenting parts of his past that he'd always repressed, it was hard to understand why he hadn't been so angry sooner. Needless to say, training was much more effective when you had an incentive to win.

At some times, after long periods of intense focus, the goal turned from winning to something else entirely. Instead, it became breaking his opponent. Which he supposed would work out well in the long run, but had been a minor issue in the short term.

During one training session against Dabi, things had even managed to get a bit too out of hand. Izuku was so trapped in imagining his opponent to be Bakugou, that he did, involuntarily, attempt to land a fatal blow. Luckily, he'd missed, redirecting the blow at the last second when shaken from his reverie by one of Dabi's more colorful exclamations. While Dabi hadn't seemed to hold it against him in the long term, the action had earned him a nasty uppercut to the jaw at the time, an injury which was still in the process of healing.

After all of that, Izuku had assumed he'd be ready. But now, seeing Bakugou's house for the first time since his capture, he couldn't help feeling as nostalgic as he did resentfully. The counterpoint of the two emotions, rather than evening out, instilled an agonizing sort of indecision within him. On the one hand, he wanted to kill Bakugou. Of that he was certain. But on the other hand, he was a part of his past. The past he wanted to return to, but couldn't. Wasn't that the very selfsame thing that he was trying to preserve?

And still, as much as he'd tried to push down to good memories, they were there. His ability to reason wasn't gone, not yet, so there was no way to repress everything.

Some little part of him, deep down, was aware of what he was doing, and as much as he hated it, it was tough to fool. It was there even now, pressing against the back of his consciousness and threatening to sway him from his actions. But he knew he couldn't turn back, not with so much depending on his success.

"Think of the others." He whispered to himself, bracing himself to jump from his current position to a sloped roof a few feet lower. "That's why you're doing this. Them."

With that small encouragement repeating in his mind, Izuku pushed off the ground, deftly landing atop his target after a moment of pace quickening suspension. While the neighborhood houses weren't quite so high that a fall would kill him, they were just tall enough to break whatever hit the lawn first, which was ample enough reason to be cautious. Izuku was more grateful now than ever that he'd been allowed a kill directly before his departure, as he wasn't at all eager to lose his opportunity to save his classmates based on a little bit of distraction-induced carelessness.

Despite what Izuku had expected, Shigaraki had surprisingly neglected to add any more rules to his test than initially stated, and Izuku had taken full advantage of what he could. He wanted to make sure that everything went just as planned, and an insatiable bloodlust was almost ensured to create slip-ups.

After steadying himself for a few seconds, Izuku resumed on his path, eventually making it across to stand above one of the windows lining the side of the Bakugou residence.

Izuku took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself for what he knew he had to do. Just as he was about to begin, however, he was interrupted by a loud noise to his left, the receding yet rhythmic beat of tennis shoes colliding with asphalt.

"Shit." Izuku cursed, realizing that no matter who the noise what caused by, it could only mean one thing. A witness. And the last thing in the world he wanted was for someone to call law enforcement, especially when he had finally been so close to acting.

Izuku turned towards the offender's origin just in time to see a figure recede from view behind a nearby house, the echoing sound of footsteps stopping not long after it rounded the corner. Izuku began to dismount from the roof onto the branch of a nearby tree, climbing down the branches with as much speed as he could manage in order to pursue his observer in time, but he couldn't shake an off feeling.

Why had someone been running along the street at this time of night, and on a holiday no less?

He had left the compound around one at night, meaning that no self-respecting person should be out on the streets unless they were drunk, but the person he'd heard had been running, an action which required a certain amount of sobriety to accomplish in it's fullest. They had reacted when they had seen him as well, as they'd only rounded the corner to hide when he'd turned, so he couldn't just ignore them no matter how much he wanted to.

Izuku bounded over to the spot with steps as light as possible, trying not to alert whoever he'd seen of his presence. Almost automatically after rounding the corner, however, he realized the point had been moot.

The house the person had ducked behind apparently bordered a main street, one which led out of the residential areas of the city and into the more commercial ones. Far down on the other end of the road stood the observer. Izuku almost jumped when his eyes finally landed on the figure. Even at his distance, he recognized them.

A boy in his mid-teens, blond hair sticking out from beneath a red hoodie, eyes piercing and accusatory. Bakugou.

Frozen in place by shock, Izuku could only watch as his target resumed on his course, this time at a much faster pace.

Just as Bakugou rounded yet another corner, Izuku regained his composure, giving chase as quickly as he could without activating full cowl, though he still did so rather hesitantly considering the context of the situation.

Bakugou out past one in the morning on a night that he usually celebrated with his family? The scenario was far too odd to be occurring under usual circumstances, especially considering the fact that he had chosen to run instead of fight upon seeing someone who clearly resembled his ex-friend turned criminal seconds away from breaking his window. All things considered, Izuku was almost certain he was running into a trap, though he wasn't quite sure how Bakugou would manage to guess where he would be and when.

While he didn't want to be caught off guard, Izuku could see no other option besides chasing Bakugou as plausible. This would likely be his only chance to attack anyone in his class as ordered, especially considering how much caution an attempted break-in would invoke surrounding UA if reported.

Bakugou's considerable head start kept him a consistent distance in front of Izuku as the two ran, though it didn't seem as if he was making any attempt to shake his pursuer, which was concerning, to say the least.

Not long after the two had departed the residential district, Bakugou made a sudden turn under an archway between two buildings, presumably restaurants. Izuku mimicked the motion, but upon almost immediate inspection, realized that his target was nowhere to be seen.

The courtyard into which the archway had led appeared to possess no alternate exits, though there were a number of visual obstructions which could be used as a means of cover. A few sets of tables and benches nestled near the far end of the area looked as though they would provide the necessary coverage, leading Izuku to investigate.

It was only when he reached the tables that he heard a shoe scuff the pavement behind him, causing him to pivot just in time to see a figure dart out from behind one of the archway's decorative pillars and into the street outside. Izuku made a move to follow but found himself slipping on the ground below his feet.

After colliding with the ground below him, he realized that the surface had been tinted slightly by a smattering of frost across its surface, a fairly recent development based on its state of solidity. Izuku forced himself to rise as quickly as he could only to see a pillar of ice rise to obstruct his sole exit, leaving him trapped within the enclosed courtyard. Now Izuku knew for certain that whatever was going on had obviously been premeditated.

His fears were confirmed as he heard a familiar voice reverberate across the rectangular space.

"Izuku."

"Hey, Todoroki. I'd like to say I'm glad to see you, but I'd be lying."

Izuku turned once more to face his new opponent, trying to form his features into a mask as best as he could. While he had, in truth, often thought about seeing his friends again, he'd hoped it would've been on better terms than this, and he knew that he'd have to keep up his facade of a willing traitor if he wanted everything to go according to plan. Well, that is, if there was any salvaging the plan at this point.

"What are you doing out here at this time of night? To be quite frank I was led to believe that Bakugou would be my only company tonight."

"We're here to rescue you Izuku," Todoroki stated, his posture decidedly threatening. "And we aren't afraid to use force if necessary."

"Wow. I'm absolutely terrified." Izuku deadpanned, rolling his eyes for additional dramatic effect. "But even so I'm sorry to say that I'm not currently in the market for rescue. I believe Bakugou should've already made that fairly clear."

Todoroki ignored the question, his stance as still as a statue.

"So there's no chance of a peaceful resolution here then." Todoroki stated definitively, his eyes darting to focus on an area behind Izuku as he sounded the last syllable.

That was all the warning he needed.

Izuku jumped back, narrowly avoiding the outstretched hand of Uraraka behind him just before it connected with his arm. He felt the adrenaline begin to rush to his head as he skidded to a stop on the end of the courtyard furthest from the exit.

"God, my luck really is shit tonight." He sighed, his voice even enough despite his rapidly beating heart. "Let me guess, you're here to rescue me too? What a fucking coincidence."

Uraraka seemed to flinch back a bit at Izuku's words, obviously expecting a more polite greeting.

"Well- Yeah, I guess I am." Uraraka sputtered. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't expect me to treat you as if you weren't a real villain. This is a serious fight."

"Uh, yeah, I kind of already got that impression from that one." Izuku pointed over to Todorki, infusing as much irritation into his voice as possible. "And I actually am a real villain. Literally by definition. So it's not like I'm expecting you to politely ask me to follow you to jail or anything. But hey, go off I guess."

Uraraka's eyes narrowed, burning with an evident rage. Without warning, she swept forward across the concrete, her hand lashing out in a second attempt to send Izuku afloat. Unfortunately, her second attempt was about as successful as her first. Izuku was fairly used to attacks which occurred on the turn of a dime, especially considering all his training with Toga, the virtual queen of hand to hand combat.

"And- Unsurprisingly you're too slow." Izuku mocked, dodging the blow without so much as a misplaced step. "Maybe you should let Bakugou back in. At least he can land a hit."

"You talk big but you haven't even thrown a single punch." Uraraka retorted. With a tinge of dissatisfaction, Izuku realized that she didn't appear to be quite as riled as he had originally assessed. "I can tell you don't want to hurt us, no matter what you might say. This, whatever it is, is an act and we both know it. Whoever has been doing all this, Killing people, It's not you. Not the real you. Please, just stop running and just come back with us already! I know you'd never do any of this by choice, we all do. Whatever is going on I promise we'll understand!"

They still trusted him, even after everything he'd done. He would've felt extremely moved had it not been for the circumstances. But now he could only silently reprimand himself. Of course they could tell he wasn't serious, he had to provide something more tangible than talk for them to judge off of. He was going to have to try to land a hit, or more accurately, try not to land one.

With as little hesitation as possible, Izuku turned on Todoroki, praying that he would take the hint and dodge his lopsidedly aimed kick.

Luckily he did, but the wall behind him was not so lucky. The structure caved in on impact, leaving a large crater in its wake along with a fine smattering of debris.

Though his foot was temporarily pained by the recoil, running at only twenty percent made it so that the damage wasn't lasting. Besides, the reaction was well worth the knockback.

Uraraka audibly gasped and stepped back a considerable distance in response to the attack while Todoroki reflexively attempted to counter with a jet of fire. Izuku jumped out of the way, landing on the other end of the courtyard.

"Well look at that. Todorokis getting the picture. I'm not your fucking friend." He snarled, voice laced with malice. "Trust me, things will be a lot easier for both of us if you accept that now. Either fight me like you mean it or let me go. Those are the only two ways I can see you getting out of this alive."

"We're going to have to use plan B." Todoroki glanced at Uraraka, his mouth set in a thin line.

"You're right." She agreed, holding up a hand above her head. "Sorry Izuku, but we aren't giving up."

Izuku looked around frantically for a third party, only to realize too late that the threat above him. A whistling noise rung in his ears, alerting him to the weighted net falling directly above his head, but he was too stunned to escape it's path. The walls surrounding the courtyard went up for some time before stopping to allow for multiple stories and increased retail space. Perched atop the area of the roof closest to Izuku stood a figure outlined in moonlight. Momo Yaoyouozu, her expression just as determined as those of her friends.

The net, which appeared to be composed of some kind of heavy yet mildly flexible metal alloy caused him to drop to the ground on impact, the weights on each end making a resounding thud as they hit the concrete. Izuku struggled to escape but only succeeded in becoming more entangled in the threads. He would've attempted to use his knife, but he already knew that the structure of the net was too tough and his knife too dull to cut him loose. He could escape, certainly, but it would take time he didn't have.

As if to accompany the thought, Izuku felt something sharp embed itself in his arm through one of the net's openings and turned to see a tranquilizer dart protruding from the pained area.

"Don't worry. Your weight was on school records, and we checked for allergies too. Momo adjusted the dosage accordingly, so you won't be hurt permanently. You just might be out for a little while." Uraraka lowered the tranquilizer gun, which had previously been concealed in the decorative brush by her feet as she spoke. "It's midazolam so it might take a few minutes to kick into effect. I'd suggest not fighting it though, even if you try to run you'll only find yourself falling down before you get anywhere."

Izuku moved a hand to touch the comm device at his ear, but was stopped by a thick sheet of ice encasing his arms. Already caught in the net, Izuku was afraid to activate his quirk due to the possibility of its threads cutting into his skin.

"We've watched the news Izuku." Todorki sighed, walking over to where he was trapped. "You're not going to call anyone."

The other boy crouched down to remove the device from Izuku's ear, and though he tried to tilt his head away, he couldn't make much headway due to the ice around his torso. When Todoroki rose, he tossed the earpiece to Uraraka, who sent it floating upwards towards Momo's location of the roof.

"If there's a tracker in there, then destroying it would probably send them here too, wouldn't it?" Uraraka asked in a way that implied more of a statement, following the object with her eyes as it was plucked out of the air four stories above. "Momo is going to make sure that Iida takes it somewhere far away beforehand instead. So... If that thing was monitoring you, then you won't have to worry."

Uraraka met Izuku's eyes, which were already starting to feel moderately heavy-lidded, something akin to hope plain on her face.

"If you were talking like that for their sake... Well, you can tell us the truth now." She offered. "They can't hear."

Izuku looked away as best he could from his shackled position, trying to avoid the guilt her genuine concern instilled in him. It wasn't his fault he had to do this, and she had no right to make him feel so awful about it. Not now that he'd lost. Not now that she had put her own life in jeopardy. They all had. And not only from the Leauge of Villains. Because he knew the truth.

The one who was going to be the most threatening, the greatest danger, wasn't far away from his classmates hidden in some compound. It was right under their noses.

"You have no idea what you're doing," Izuku muttered, his lucidity rapidly departing. "You... I'm..."

He trailed off, his mind too scrambled to put together a complete thought.

"Don't worry. Everything is going to be fine." Uraraka promised, her blurry, unfocused face suddenly level with his own. "We'll take care of everything. You can fall asleep now."

And without further complaint, he did.

* * *

"So..." Uraraka began, her back resting almost fully against the wall behind her. "That went much better than expected."

Bakugou nodded his head from the bench he sat on a few feet away, his expression neutral.

"Yeah. Your theory was right. Nice work." He responded, looking out across the garden in front of them from his spot on a decorative concrete bench. "But now what?"

Uraraka felt a twinge of anxiety creep in at the question.

The group had had a plan for where to bring Izuku afterward, in fact, they were there now. Since Izuku now had a double charge for committed manslaughter, they couldn't very well take him home. Everyone had come to the consensus that they should at least try to find out what was making Izuku act the way he was before they brought the legal authorities into it, and Uraraka sincerely hoped that they'd be able to. Of course, only time would tell, and for the tie being Izuku had yet to wake up from his forced slumber.

Kirishima had carried Izuku back to Momo's house, her mansion being the chosen destination due to its size and general seclusion. From there, they had placed Izuku on an old mattress in the attic, praying that whenever he rose, he'd have the sense not to wake up the house's other sleeping occupants. Even Momo herself had taken special care in being quiet during their arrival, making sure to enter the house through the only window that rested in her home security system's blind spot.

While some in the group had been against it, Momo had also taken measures to limit Izuku's movement, shackling his arms and legs in case he was still intent on being violent. Though Kirishima had been the action's greatest protester, he had eventually caved when he heard that Izuku had almost attacked Todoroki in the courtyard, stating that he didn't want anything to happen to Bakugou.

Uraraka herself was a bit more neutral to the action. While it was true that she wanted to believe in Izuku's good nature, she had seen what he'd been capable of doing. She hated herself for the lack of trust, but in the end, she'd said nothing on the subject at all. Bakugou had done the same, following her back outside when she'd said she needed some fresh air.

"I don't know." She responded. "I guess we see if that was all really an act or not. That's all we can do for now."

Uraraka heard Bakugou scoff, but he didn't make any moves to reply. Wordlessly, she walked over to sit beside him on the bench, placing the two of them six or so inches apart.

"I know you're worried. I am too." She stated, fiddling with a strand of loose hanging hair. "But we made it this far. A few days ago, we would've said there was no hope of even cornering Izuku. But now, here we are."

She gestured up at the shape of the house towered behind them, looking at the frame of the attic's sole window as it reflected the moonlight.

"I know it's not in your character, but it wouldn't kill you to have a bit of faith."

"Ha. Sure Bubblegum Bitch." Bakugou grunted tonelessly. "Trust me, I believe in this cause, but I'm not stupid. Now you've seen him up close, so you must've noticed. Something is off about him, and I don't just mean in what he's saying. It's this feeling I get when I look him in the eyes. There's something there under the surface, something extremely wrong. Unhinged. We haven't seen it yet, not to its full extent, but something is broken and I'm not excited to find out what."

Uraraka clasped her hands together tightly, trying to calm their slight shuddering as she considered Bakugou's words. The more she thought about them the more they made sense, though she didn't want to admit it.

"That's just preposterous. You can't tell that much about a person from a feeling. It's impossible." Uraraka didn't say what she was thinking, that she'd had the same feelings. "Besides, nothing could change him that much. People don't break so easily. Especially not him."

"Fine." Bakugou stood. "Beleive whatever little delusions you want. But be careful around him if you're sticking around. I don't want you getting yourself killed."

"Wait- Sticking around?" Uraraka faltered. "Are you planning on leaving?"

"No." Bakugou shook his head. "But the others are. The stuff we used takes five or so hours to wear off and we have school tomorrow, not to mention our parents. Someone needs to be here when he wakes up but if no one else steps up I'm guessing that falls to the only person who lives here. I'm going to volunteer so teacher's pet doesn't have to."

Uraraka stood, her hands clenching into fists in conviction. "I'll stay with you. I have some questions I want to ask him. As soon as possible."

Bakugou narrowed his eyes but didn't object.

"Sure, whatever. But I hope you know what you're getting into." He remarked, head facing forward as he walked to the window through which they had exited. "Because I'm not sure even we can fight whatever he's facing."

Uraraka followed behind him, her determination renewed.

"Maybe. But we're heroes. We have to try."

* * *

 **Sorry that this chapter is a bit short, but I hope you all like it none the less!**

 **A million thanks to those of you who comment to show your support, your words are so wonderful and uplifting and they really encourage me to keep writing!**

 **As always thanks for reading, comment and follow if you can, and don't be afraid to say if you disliked anything!**


	17. Chapter 17

When Izuku opened his eyes, he felt as if his whole body was stuck in some sort of tar. Every move was met with slow resistance and a dull but aching pain across the muscles it encompassed. His arms wouldn't move much at all, and upon further inspection he found the same to be true of his legs.

While he was trying to look around the room, his mind refused to truly process anything, seemingly caught in the same molasses-like state as his body. Everything was cloudy disregarding a nagging feeling at the back of his brain, an impulse that insisted to be dealt with despite the situation.

The realization of it was enough to rush Izuku's memories back into painful focus, bringing lucidity along with them.

"Shit."

Now able to see with some clarity despite his swimming vision, Izuku took stock of his surroundings best he could.

From what he could tell, he was in a large enclosed space with a low wooden ceiling... No, wait, a slanted ceiling with wooden rafters. Based on the triangular shape the room was probably directly under the house he was inside of's roof. He could tell it was a house because of the items littering the floor. A picture album just visible peeking out of a cardboard box, a dusty wooden rocking chair, a decaying toy chest... So an attic then based on the age of the belongings and their natures. Whoever lived here had expensive tastes too. Izuku hoped that didn't mean what he thought it did.

Surely none of his classmates would be stupid enough to bring him to one of their houses. But then again, they were trying to rescue him despite the action's high-risk factor and his constant insistence to the contrary so really anything was possible at this point.

He was lying on a mattress which appeared to have aged just a bit less than the majority of the attic's contents, though it was still coated in a fine layer of dust to match its companions. While the cushion below him somewhat lessened the pain of metal digging into his wrists, which he now found were pinned together behind his back, his arms still screamed in protest.

While Izuku was grateful for the increasing clarity he felt as whatever drug he's been injected with wore off, he couldn't say the same for the return of communication with his nervous system. Or the ever-present influence of his command.

While he vaguely recalled Uraraka telling him something about what he'd been shot with, Izuku couldn't remember enough to know how long he'd been out. Depending on the drug, his current level of willpower was bound to fade quickly. However long it had been though, Izuku doubted it could exceed twenty-four hours from his time of departure. He silently thanked himself for making sure to perform a kill before leaving the compound, grateful that no matter what happened he had at least some chance of holding back.

The discomfort of his handcuffs finally becoming too much to ignore, Izuku attempted to rise into a sitting position on the mattress, swinging his still closely paired legs over its side. In the darkness of the attic, Izuku hadn't seen what was resting on the floor beside him, and by the time he found out it was too late to take back the action. In their momentum, his shoes had landed forcefully atop a colorful toy piano, creating an ear ringing dissonance of sound.

This sudden clamor elicited a quite string of curses from its initiator, and a shockingly louder singular curse from somewhere in the distance.

"Fuck!"

The voice, which Izuku recognized all too well, was enough to make him flinch.

In a burst of fleeting anger at the piano which had undoubtedly alerted any and everyone who was downstairs of his current state, Izuku somewhat forcefully pushed the object across the room with his feet, planting them down unapologetically on the now vacant plot of floor.

In the silence that followed he could make out a few muffled words, not enough to make sense of but just enough to be worried. Besides, they were getting louder over time, which certainly wasn't a good sign.

If nothing else, the noise had at least shown Izuku the location of the attic's entry point, a small panel in the ground with an extending ladder above it, the kind that could only be opened from below.

He stared down at the hatch in the dim light, hoping, praying that it would remain shut. He was in no state to talk, and even if he had been he had no clue what he'd say.

Could he even keep up his facade of apathetic nonchalance when the very people he was trying so hard to protect were staring him directly in the eyes? He wasn't sure he'd be able to hold back when he once again saw that naive, hopeful spark in Uraraka's eyes. The spark they'd reflected during their meeting.

That spark had made him so immeasurably angry.

He knew it was irrational. If anything, the look should be encouraging, inspiring. His friends, no matter how deterred, still believed in him, still sought him after everything he'd done, everything he'd said. But instead, it was indescribably infuriating.

Acceptance and hope that he knew he could never have were being held right out of his reach, just close enough to see but never close enough to catch, like some sick, karmic joke. His friends still wanted him back, still expected that what he'd done was forgivable, understandable, but he was completely incapable of returning for reasons beyond his control, and the irony of the whole thing was entirely too much for him to bear quietly. Even Bakugou Katsuki, the very person he'd trained himself to hate, had come back to try and rescue him. As if he suddenly cared. As if he were suddenly worth something.

But he was powerless to allow it.

And besides that, there was the guilt. Witnessing how much pain his disappearance must've caused firsthand but being completely unable to explain himself, to provide comfort, to tell them that it wasn't their fault. He had hoped that distancing himself from them would make the pain burn less, would keep them from caring when he disappeared, but even now they continued to prove that his loss had left a burden on them, one he didn't know how to alleviate. All he had ever wanted was to be a hero, to help people smile, ease their troubles, but now not only was he unable to fulfill those goals but being forced to go against their very nature as well.

How could he look into eyes like those, ones that still saw some bygone goodness in him, that still believed in him unconditionally, without breaking down? If there was one thing he knew it was that he sure as Hell didn't deserve to.

He'd rather never see them again if he could.

But that didn't slow the approaching footsteps separated only by the floor below his feet, didn't stop the hatch in the floor from unfolding with a shrill, rust encased shriek, didn't stop the too bright light from flooding into the space around him, forcing his eyes to adjust.

He couldn't help but hope that the new arrival was Bakugou instead of Uraraka. That wasn't too far fetched. He had heard him curse downstairs after all. And then, he could find some way to stop caring. He could recede back into his earlier delusions, convince himself of Bakugou's inequity, and then react accordingly. He could do what had to be done, he knew he could. He'd already done worse after all.

It had to be Bakugou.

Then, there was a silhouette still hazy in the blinding light, having climbed the ladder and entered the attic.

"Hello, Izuku."

The voice, instead of being calloused and accusatory, was tentative and light, as if it assumed its recipient too volatile or fragile to accept it without retort. A kind of voice that considered before it spoke, crafting each word for a tailored purpose through empathy rather than manipulation. A voice riddled with a deliberate candor that made his stomach churn.

Because it wasn't Bakugou's.

It was Uraraka's.

* * *

Uraraka had spent so much time thinking of what she'd say when she could finally speak to Izuku again, but now that the time was truly here nothing seemed right.

There were so many questions she wanted to ask, so many things she needed to say, but with Izuku right there in front of her, they all seemed far too insensitive, not to mention personal.

She had no idea what he'd been through in the past few weeks, and if any of it was as traumatic as she was made to assume, she would have to be extremely careful with her phrasing in order to keep the conversation from taking any upsetting turns.

To be completely honest Uraraka wasn't even certain that Izuku wanted to talk to her in the first place. While she'd guessed that his earlier attitude was an act for the sake of whoever had been monitoring him, there was a very off chance that his feelings for his friends really had changed. That he didn't want to be saved. That when he'd attacked Todoroki, he hadn't meant to miss.

And what would happen then?

Uraraka felt her confidence wane as she considered the possibilities.

"Hey."

The response was rough and quiet, but Uraraka heard it none the less. Though she couldn't see Izuku's figure or expression due to the sudden shift in light from the downstairs hallway to the attic, she decided to take his willingness for speech as a positive sign, allowing her own tone to become slightly more casual.

"Sorry about... Well, all of his. We figured it was the only way we'd get to talk with you since..." Uraraka felt her voice fade off, unsure of how to finish her sentence without coming across as accusatory.

Luckily, Izuku didn't wait for the thought's completion. "Yeah. It probably was."

Uraraka tensed at the neutrality in his voice. It was so unlike how he'd spoken in the past. She couldn't even detect a hint of the vibrancy and vocal fluctuation that had always made him seem so animated in the past.

"So, Bakugou couldn't make it? I know he's here, wherever here is. To be honest I'm pretty sure the whole block must after that outburst."

Uraraka laughed airily, more to lighten the mood than out of true amusement. "We figured it'd be better if you just talked with one of us for now. But yeah, that yell would've caused a lot of trouble for us if Momo's parents hadn't already left for work. You really freaked Bakugou out with that noise."

"Momo's parents? So we're at Yaoyorozu's house then. That was a very risky decision on your parts. I can't say I approve. You said they left for work already though... Would you mind telling me what time it is?" Uraraka almost detected a bit of anxiousness in Izuku's voice. Was he being timed?

"It's only around six ten in the morning. They both leave fairly early, it was actually part of the reason Momo let us come over. You slept an hour later than we'd expected considering what we gave you, but I'm guessing you needed it. You sound pretty tired anyway."

"So six hours. I guess that's not as bad as it could've been..." Izuku seemed to be talking more to himself than to her, his voice turning to the low mutter that she had known him to usually save for personal anxieties and analysis. "Yeah. Six hours I can work with. I just have to-"

The mumbling cut off suddenly as Uraraka shifted a foot across the wooden floor, creating a grainy sweeping sound.

"Uh, sorry." He quickly apologized, and even in the dull light of the attic, she could see him turn his head away from her. His voice sounded slightly embarrassed as well as anxious now, the most varied she'd heard it since the day he'd originally been taken.

Uraraka shook her head reassuringly though she doubted he could see the motion. "Don't apologize. You probably have every right to be stressed out... I just wish you were willing to tell me why..." She let the statement hang, hoping he'd take the bait.

"Oh, I'll tell you why I'm stressed out." Izuku began darkly. "I'm stressed out because you people were not only stupid enough to try and fight a known killer alone in the middle of the goddamn night, but also suicidal enough to bring said killer back to a place of residence with little to no precautionary measures before sitting down with him to have a friendly fucking chat!" Izuku's tone of voice had slowly risen over the course of his sentence, concluding in a near yell. "Do you have literally any sense of self-preservation whatsoever?"

Uraraka reeled back, unsure of how to react to the outburst. On the one hand, she was almost certain that she had never heard Izuku be as aggressive as he was now., but on the other, his words had almost come across as... Concerned? How was she supposed to read that?

Izuku must have noticed the shock on her face based on his next words. "Ugh, look... I'm sorry about what I'm saying. I just sometimes get a little irritable when... Well, it doesn't matter actually. Just please don't let what I'm saying make you feel as if any of this is your fault."

Uraraka nodded placatingly. "Don't worry about it, I won't. You're fine."

"You don't have to lie. How I'm acting right now must be confusing. It's just... Well, the drug's aftereffects combined with... I'm kind of at a loss for what to do right now." He finished awkwardly. "The way I was acting doesn't seem to have had the desired effect, but..."

 _Desired effect?_

"Well... Maybe you could start with just telling me the truth?" Uraraka offered mildly. "I don't know if you remember, but I promised I'd understand. Or at least try to."

Izuku fell backward onto the mattress with an empty sigh. "Trust me you wouldn't. I'm not even sure I do."

Uraraka took a light step forward. "Try me. I'm not giving up on you."

"Yeah. That's the problem, isn't it?" Izuku scoffed indifferently. "With you and everyone else."

"Okay fine Izuku, I know you've done some pretty awful things in the past few weeks-"

"You don't even know the half of it."

"-But you were forced to! I know you were! I just kidnapped you, drugged you, and tied you up in an attic, and yet you're the one apologizing to me! You save people, and not for money, or fame, or appreciation, but because you care about them! You're a good person and I am one hundred percent certain that you wouldn't do what you did unless someone made you! Hell, you probably did it for someone else's sake anyway! I know you and I know that-"

" _Shut up._ "

Uraraka couldn't help but think that Izuku's voice in that moment, though so quiet, was the most threatening thing she'd ever heard.

"Izuku-"

Before she could even register what was going on he'd stood up, his eyes intensely interlocked with her own. "I said _shut up_. Stop talking about things you know nothing about. Because you're dead wrong."

"I'm sorry," Uraraka whispered, her voice weaker than she'd anticipated. "I just want to hear the truth."

Izuku flinched back, but his eyes didn't leave hers, nor did they become less fierce.

There was a moment of tense silence. For Uraraka each second felt like an eternity. She almost resigned to call Bakugou when suddenly-

"Are you sure?"

"That I want to hear the truth?"

"Yes. What else would I be asking?"

"Are you going to tell me if I say yes?"

Another long stretch of silence, but this one was more contemplative.

"I am. But I promise you'll regret it if you do. You'd probably be better off just taking off these cuffs and walking away."

Uraraka couldn't believe what she was hearing. Were they finally going to find out what had happened to do this? To change Izuku so drastically?

"Then my answer is yes."

Izuku's frown deepened.

"I knew you'd say that."

* * *

 **Sorry for the cliffhanger but thanks for reading anyway! ;)**

 **Happy New Years!**


	18. Chapter 18

**-Chapter Eighteen -**

Izuku wasn't quite sure what had compelled him to present his offer. Despite all of the effort and anxiety he had invested in his secret, despite all the pain he knew it had the potential to incite, despite the threats that had been placed upon his current background's continued secrecy, he had spoken up. He'd hardly even required any persuasion. Or, more accurately, competent persuasion. All of Uraraka's demands for information had been so blunt, honest, and tactless that they could hardly be considered manipulation. But they'd worked nonetheless. And unfortunately, Izuku had a few guesses as to why.

One of the biggest motivators, the lethal din hovering just below his waking consciousness, was, of course, his command. Despite the fact that only a forth of his stated limit period had past since his last kill, whether due to stress or exaggerated awareness, Izuku was beginning to feel it's a draw with a sway that normally took much longer to develop. It wasn't imminently deadly. Not yet at least. But it's potency already had the power to make him irritable, which was enough of a warning sign that he felt he needed to inform his current conversational partner of it's existence as a precaution if nothing else. While it was true that he was restrained, he was sure that even his classmates had been able to tell that they couldn't withstand his quirk. While he might've injured himself breaking out of them in the past, his current ability for restraint would likely allow him escape with only minor repercussion, something he wasn't eager to see until Uraraka was a safe distance away. He had already imagined killing her far too many times for comfort since the start of their conversation, which was troublesome to say the very least.

The second strongest motivator was the need to instill fear. While he'd tried his best to forewarn his classmates of the danger he presented in roundabout ways, he'd never felt as though honesty would be the gentlest option. Even if it was only in a very insignificant way, the means of his corruption partially victimized him, and there was nothing he wanted less from his peers than sympathy. Besides, it would make it that much harder for them to stop caring about about him when they knew his defection was greatly involuntary. But even then, if that was what it took to keep them safe, to keep them far away from him, he was more than willing to resort to it. Cruel tactics for cruel times. Izuku would have to repress the ever-present fear he held somewhere deep down that the strategy would work too well. That his classmates would look at him the same way the children at the Masquerade facility had. Like he was inhuman. But maybe even that was ultimately for the best.

His other reasons were slightly less noble. For one thing, Izuku wanted to defy Shigaraki in whatever way he could, no matter how small. If there was anything recent events had made Izuku feel it was lack of control, and being as powerless to change his fate as he was currently he was desperate to take it in any way he could. Shigaraki had explicitly stated that he wasn't supposed to tell anyone outside of the League about his condition, least of all those who aspired to be heroes, so naturally this was an easy path of rebellion. He'd have to convince Uraraka not to tell any authorities of course, but as long as word didn't get back to the League he couldn't see things going too badly. Then again, he would love to see the look on his face when he found out that his weapon's psychological attack potential had been all but destroyed. But admittedly the aftermath would be hell to pay.

And lastly, there was the motivation that Izuku was most loathe to admit. He wanted reassurance. He wanted someone fully informed to tell him that what he'd done, the course of actions he'd taken, and the things he'd been feeling were all valid and understandable. That, contrary to his own beliefs, what he'd done hadn't broken him to the point of an inability to be forgiven, even from an educated perspective. That he wasn't the monster he was so convinced he'd become.

He knew it was impractical. He hated that he wanted it. He'd tried to repress it as best he could. He already knew what he was, could be, and would be, no matter what happened between him and his friends. But somehow, a part of him still hadn't accepted it.

Depending on Uraraka's response, that part of him would either be falsely satisfied, or eliminated permanently. He knew that a negative reaction would be enough to finally push him over the edge, but by that point it wouldn't matter, because the other side of him wouldn't have been deemed worth salvaging anyways. The other reaction would be far more cruel. Because even if someone understood, there would still be no hope of tangible salvation, just further mental torment. The possibility of approval was well worth the risk either way.

"I have to warn you the story is a bit complicated, and it won't be easy to hear. You'll probably hate me after you hear it." Izuku warned. One last attempt to deter her from the truth. He knew it was weak. She'd already agreed. But even so he had to try. Fate hadn't been kind to him yet, but if Uraraka still agreed to hear him out even now then this must be the direction it was pointing him in.

Uraraka nodded. "Go ahead. We've got all the time in the world."

 _No we don't. In so many ways we don't._ Izuku couldn't help but think, staring down at the place in his pocket where Ima's knife rested. Of course his friends had neglected to search him. Despite the pulse of guilt he felt at their naïveté, he was glad to have a reminder of just how dangerous he could be so close by. It might help him to be more accurate during his retelling of events.

"Well I guess it all started when I was abducted. That's pretty obvious, and you were there for most of it anyways, so I'll skip most of the details here. A criminal group, new, mysterious, and presumably powerful decided that they needed to abduct me because of a request from one of their clients. You know that, but what you don't know is exactly why, namely what the organization specialized in. They were called masquerade, and they kidnapped children with considerably useful combat oriented quirks from low income districts where crime was generally location based abductions were performed in an attempt to remain under the radar, since heroes would be less likely to investigate for a criminal organization in areas where small, one person crimes were common. The reason most children kidnapped possessed powerful quirks, however, is separate entirely. After capture, they would use several elements in an attempt to weaponize the children, essentially turning them into destructive tools for whoever required easily manipulated and controlled assistance. By using children and teens, the group assured that their merchandise was not only malleable from a behavioral perspective, but also ensured to remain alive as long as they were needed by their buyers. I'm not one hundred percent sure about all of these factors, but with what I know I believe everything I've told you so far is true. I used logic to piece some points together, but they were never disproved."

"So..." Uraraka interjected, her voice small, but steady. "Does that mean that you were exposed to some kind of conditioning? By the Masquerade group I mean? And speaking of Masquerade, you keep referring to them in the past tense... Like they're gone. Is there a reason for that?"

Izuku nodded his head, staring off at a point in the distance behind Uraraka. "Yes. To all your questions."

Out of the corner of his eyes Izuku could see Uraraka cross her arms and tilt her head questioningly. "Care to elaborate?"

"Fine. Masquerade is gone. There's your reason for you." Izuku knew he was dodging the girl's real questions, and tactlessly to boot, but he wanted to stall as long as he could before he had to explain himself.

"You know that wasn't what I was referring to." Uraraka's tone sounded more factual than reprimanding. "Look, we can start smaller if you want and build up to the more difficult answers. Even based on what you've told me now, I wouldn't be surprised if some of your story's elements turned out to be a bit more... traumatic."

 _You don't know the half of it._

"So let's start with what happened right after you were taken, when you were isolated from the group. You can focus on whatever details you want as long as they progress the narrative. I don't want to force you into talking about painful generalizations. Here, I'll even come sit by you if it helps make this feel less detached." She proposed, walking over to take a seat on the mattress by where he stood. Only a few feet away. He shifted to put more distance between them.

"Izuku-" The brunette began, holding a hand up as if to stop him. She seemed to have stopped in the middle of her expression, reverting from casual back to tentative in seconds. Izuku couldn't stand being so close to her, especially when his command was telling him to send her careening into an outward facing fourth story wall. Even still, the rejection and pain evident on her face were enough to convince him to sit by her. On the other side of the mattress and facing the opposite direction, but still he hoped the gesture's meaning carried nonetheless.

"Alright, that sounds like a good place to pick up." He agreed with as neutral a voice as possible, resting his head partially on one propped up hand. "After all of you disappeared from view, I woke up in a small room. I think it was somewhere that the person's transportation quirk had a link to, and I'm assuming it was a temporary containment cell for abductees. Normally I would've been able to break out pretty easily, but they had surveyors with extremely potent repression quirks watching the room. Every time I stood up or tried to move I experienced headaches, Nausea, and vertigo. Eventually though, I broke through and destroyed the door, but the mental effort stopped me from only using a percentage of my potential. I ended up injuring a finger, but it was healed later when I was asleep. This means they probably had strong recovery quirks on call too. There were some grunts in the halls that dealt with transport too, and they possessed powerful offensive abilities."

"Sounds like whoever this group was, they could sure afford to hire." Uraraka commented with a hint of contempt evident in her voice. "Abilities like that would usually be put to heroism, or at least highly prized civilian careers. It must've taken either a lot of yen, or a lot of interest to make them choose such a risky employment."

"Good observation." Izuku noted. "You're correct. It seemed to me like payment was a pretty big motivator for most employees, but some... Well, some certainly enjoyed what they did. That actually leads pretty smoothly into the next point of the story."

Izuku halted abruptly, hist posture becoming noticeably more tense. This was the part he'd wanted to avoid talking about. Or the start of it at least.

"Well?" Uraraka prompted softly. "What happened next?"

"I was subdued. I probably would've fought harder if I'd known what was coming. At least I'd like to think so." He felt his hands tighten into fists involuntarily. "Apparently, they'd wanted to transport me soon anyways, so I was taken to another room pretty quickly after that. This one was styled like an office, and there was a single women there. You could tell just by the way she carried herself that she was confident in what she was doing."

Izuku could hear malice in his voice. Well, hear was a bit of an understatement. He could practically feel it permeating the air around him, strong and unapologetic.

"She asked me a few questions. Then she vaguely threatened me. Pretty smugly too. I knew just by hearing her voice that she didn't think of me as anything more than a lab rat."

"You really hate her, huh?" Uraraka asked. "I mean I've never heard you talk with that voice about anyone before... It doesn't sound like you at all."

Izuku couldn't stop himself from flinching back a bit at the comment. He bit down on his tongue before he could shoot back a retort.

 _Then maybe you don't know me that well._

He meant the current him of course. And how could he expect her to know anything about that? She hadn't seen after all. Didn't know. But she was about to.

"I guess." He responded. A much more moderate answer. "Anyways, after that she told me about her quirk. It was called command, and she said it gave her the ability to.. Well essentially program people. It was partially a mandatory change and partially behavioral psychology. Your brain would be rewired to follow the command no matter what it entailed, repeating it at certain intervals. If they didn't, they'd be forced to ignore all other stimuli, eventually starving or dying of sleep deprivation if they're interval wasn't reset. Of course this wouldn't be a problem if they had a way to constantly meet the requirements of the demand. That was the mandatory part. The part with the behavioral psychology worked mostly off of Operant Conditioning; which is to say a system of punishments and rewards. When a command was met, the subject in question would have a chemical reaction occur in their brain that reinforced the behavior. If they didn't fulfill it for an extended period, the opposite would occur to an increasing degree as time progressed, meaning the subject would become increasingly upset and irritable based on neurochemical reactions. I know it sounds sort of juvenile, but the theory works. A person is more likely to do something with a reward and less likely to do something with negative reinforcement. It makes a lot of sense when-"

"-What did she make you do?" Uraraka cut in, her voice suddenly determined and harsh. "I can tell that this is a difficult subject for you but I didn't come here for a psychology lesson. I want to know what happened to you, and who's to blame."

The intensity of Uraraka's voice almost made Izuku wonder how badly Uraraka would've hurt his captors were they not already dead. He couldn't see her face but he wouldn't be surprised if it looked as fierce as her voice sounded.

"Right. Well, basically, she determined that I was fairly selfless based on how I answered questions and decided to base my specific... Command off that. She thought it would be difficult for me to take someone's life at the so she-"

"-She forced you to kill people?!" Uraraka's voice increased in intensity, and he could hear her stand up and turn to face his back. "I knew you didn't do any of that by choice! You would never! That- That bitch!"

There was anger in those statements certainly, but relief as well. Uraraka thought she'd been proven right. Izuku would hate crushing her hopes again.

"Curb your enthusiasm, I'm not done yet." He snapped, still facing the opposite wall. He wasn't sure whether or not Uraraka's reaction made him more irritated, or if they had just been talking for longer than he thought. "There's a lot more to this."

"R-right." Uraraka replied, the rage not leaving her voice, only becoming more managed. "Go ahead."

"Like I was saying, I was... Forced to kill people in a manner of speaking. But if I'm being completely honest..." Izuku felt himself choke up. This was going to be the most difficult part to vocalize. The part he'd almost always known but never admitted to himself. The part that tormented him the most. "There was a choice. I wasn't necessarily forced to do anything. Certainly the odds were stacked against me, my overseers made sure of that. But there were ways I could've circumvented it if I'd been more practical in the moment."

Izuku's voice and face remained perfectly even, but he could feel his hands shaking.

"The quirk was entirely mental, so it had a very subjective aspect to it based on the interpretation of the subject. I... Didn't come to realize that for a while. There was this girl-"

Now Izuku's voice broke, but he ignored the strain and continued on.

"She was the first person who was sent in. That's how they did it by the way. The put me in a room and they sent people in. She was young. Really young. But pretty clever. She said she'd always loved the concept of heroes. She was quirkless but still she wanted to be a hero too-"

There were tears now. This was the first time he'd cried in a very, very long time. He opted to ignore it.

"She looked up to them. Not just heroes but heroes in training as well. She didn't let on for awhile but she knew who I was. She said I'd been a big inspiration. I think she was one of my first fans."

Izuku felt more tears. From a few drops to a torrent. Just his luck. He tried to wipe them away, but more kept replacing them.

"I didn't really believe the women I guess. I should've. But I didn't. It just didn't seem like it could be real. At that point I should've done whatever I could to stop myself, restrain myself, something! But I didn't."

Now emotion had entered his voice too.

"By the time I realized- By the time I-"

More than just his hands were shaking now, his whole body was shuddering.

"I don't even know what she said! Or- or if she tried to fight back... I don't remember it at all because by then I was too far gone."

He grabbed the side of the mattress to steady himself. It didn't work.

"But when I woke up... She was unrecognizable. Whatever I did it was so brutal... Just blood and bones and sinew left, I couldn't even make out her face... And- And-"

He clenched his eyes shut.

"And that's not even the worst part. Not even near the worst part for so many reasons. I... I enjoyed it. Because of the Operant Conditioning I think. Back then that was why. But that still isn't the worst part."

He opened his eyes. Steadied his voice. Raised his head.

"Because after I saw her I realized, very suddenly, that the quirk was based on perception, I could've fought it. Could've considered it in a different way and everything would've been prevented. I wouldn't have been free but they could've killed me instead. Then she'd still have some fighting chance, or at least I wouldn't have been the one to kill her. It would've been so much less brutal too I think. I could stop after that too if I just reconsidered. But I didn't want to."

His face wasn't dry but he wasn't crying anymore. He'd made himself stop.

"Because if I did, then it would make it my fault. I would've killed her by choice. I could've prevented it. I was supposed to be a hero but I didn't save her. And one thing led to another. I wanted to take my mind off it in any way possible. I wanted to forget what I'd realized and bury it and go on thinking that I'd had no choice but to do it. And if that was true, then I had to keep killing, right? So I did. It got easier and easier. And the high distracted from the pain. Really well. Surprisingly well."

He wiped off his face.

"It was pretty nice. And by that logic, killing was pretty nice. And that suppressed part of me began to really look forward to it. Not just the high either. I think it's sort of an association effect, but eventually I liked the blood, and the sound of bones breaking, and the adrenaline rush too. But I didn't want to admit it. So I buried it. I tried to forget it. I didn't think about it. But I kept being reminded of it."

He made his voice even and devoid again. Emotionless like he'd practiced.

"When the League came to get me- they were the ones that ordered my capture- they killed all of the masquerade employees. I killed the women with the command quirk. She said she couldn't remove it. I knew that even if she could, I'd still be broken. Maybe I was always broken. I don't know why else I'd become like that. Maybe it was something that was dormant in me. Waiting to be released. I don't know. I'm still disturbed by it. Part of me cares about the question and the other part doesn't, but none of me wants to know the answer."

He had to sound apathetic because if he was emotional, then it would be too real.

"Those reminders... There were small, unexpected ones. I went to the movies and saw a serial killer movie with Toga. Shigaraki told me that I was still worse than him. Than all the others. Because they were killers, but they didn't enjoy it. They kept referring to me as one of them. "

He had to sound like he didn't care or then he would, all at once. Like he had just a few moments ago. Now he could tell himself it was false again.

"The larger reminders... Well you saw some of them. I killed people. They even sent me here to kill one of you. If I didn't, then they said they'd kill all of you. I'd be killing one and saving the rest. Not a great deal but that's what they told me. So I had another justification. Not that I didn't care about all of you. I want to keep you all safe more than anything. But that doesn't mean that I didn't use the justification too. And protecting you made it so much easier to stomach."

Deep breaths in and out.

"Now I'm worried that even if I do find some way to remove the quirk, it won't matter. Because by then I'll be too messed up to want it gone."

He could keep up the facade. He had to. He couldn't face this. He'd been stupid to try.

"And I had to tell you. Because the more of myself I lose, the more inhuman I become, the less I start to care about things, the more I repress them. I can't keep doing this. Either I stop caring about everything but killing, or I die. I can't see another option. And I never want to stop caring about all of you. I don't-"

He was losing his composure, he could tell, but he tried to rebuild it.

"I don't want-"

His voice was breaking again. The tears were returning. The emotion was building.

And then the dam broke.

"I don't want to be a monster, or crazy, or a villain! I just want to be back at school with you, and Todoroki, and Tsuyu, and Iida, and Yaoyorozu, and Kirishima, and even Bakugou! I just want to feel like me again and forget all this ever happened but I can't! I'm too useless to even end my own life and I don't know what to do! I've been trying to keep myself together for so long for all of you but-"

Suddenly he was cut off. His tears made his eyes far too blurry to see through, but he could feel the arms embracing him.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" Uraraka sounded as if she were speaking through her own set of tears, and he could feel drops falling on his shoulder. "I know my apologies will never be enough, but-"

"They're enough." He replied. Because in that moment, they were.

* * *

 **Sorry this chapter turned out so dark, but to be completely honest I couldn't wait to reveal everything that's been hidden my third person narration's selective omission. I dunno if you all noticed, but I've been dropping some hints about these revelations for awhile, so I hope some of you noticed.**

 **Thank you so much for reading, especially those of you who leave comments!**


	19. Chapter 19

**-Chapter Nineteen -**

Izuku hadn't realized just how much he needed the embrace until Uraraka's arms were around him, but then it was there, and warm, and comforting, and perfect, and suddenly he couldn't imagine a time when he hadn't needed something like this.

It wasn't just the human contact, though that was something he'd missed, but rather the assurances that it conveyed.

Uraraka didn't despise him. She'd heard the full account of what he'd done and still, somehow, miraculously she wasn't afraid. She had even felt it necessary to comfort him.

The idea was so beautiful and unbelievable that Izuku couldn't help but smile despite the tears running down his face and landing on his shoulder.

Someone, regardless of personal bias or legal significance, had seen him as redeemable. As sympathetic. As human. And even if he wasn't, even if he never would be, if that belief was enough to convince him of his own worth for even a minute it all would've been worth it. The botched mission, the risk factors, the certainty that he still had to find some way to kill Bakugou despite the odds against him.

Despite how Uraraka was sure to react.

That thought alone was enough to jar him back to reality, causing him to jolt out of his momentary stupor as well as Uraraka's arms. He couldn't be this close to her, and in less than an hour from now she was going to regret having ever spoken with him in the first place. It would be more than difficult for her to maintain pity when the prospective receiver of the emotion had just turned one of her classmates into a corpse. No matter how insufferable said classmate might be.

Izuku felt a sharp stab of regret as his eyes met once more with Uraraka's.

Her eyes, which had previously been so determined and metallic, now inspired more thoughts of quicksilver than steel, dewy shades of chestnut swirling across each iris in a dance of color as tears formed at their bases. They still spoke of determination, but there was an underlying guilt present in their depths that he knew shouldn't be hers to bear, but his. Yet here she was shouldering it all because of his thoughtlessness.

Izuku had been selfish to tell her the truth, he knew that much. But still, the warmth of Uraraka's gesture had been appreciated, and recently he'd become a bit too selfish to apologize for something that brought him even the smallest semblance of happiness, especially since he'd begun to suspect he was immune to the emotion completely.

And then, before he could examine her face further, Uraraka had jumped back, too far away for observation. He felt a flush rise to his face as he realized he must've been staring, averting his gaze to focus on the small, damp spots where the tears had come to rest on his sleeve. It wasn't much of a distraction, but he could hardly think of any better way to diffuse the tension.

The two had only been standing apart for a few minutes, but it felt much longer. Too long to go without words, especially considering that both of them had managed to stop crying quite so severely after Izuku had withdrawn. While he'd managed to return his face to it's now standard mask of apathy, when he looked up he saw that Uraraka's expression possessed an intense expectant quality despite the red around her eyes, almost as if she were waiting for him to reprimand her behavior in approaching him. He had been the one to reject the advance after all, and she now she knew just how dangerous it was to be near him.

"Thank you for..." Izuku felt his sentence taper off as his thoughts dissolved, too insubstantial to articulate completely. "Reacting to all that so well. I know I probably seem pretty awful now that you know all this."

Izuku couldn't help but cringe at his description. 'Pretty awful' didn't begin to describe it.

Uraraka shook her head fervently, sending crystalline teardrops in an arc around her head. Izuku couldn't help but think the picture as a whole looked rather angelic, at least until her hair settled enough to once more reveal her eyes.

"You're not the one who seems awful." Her current grimace looked downright sinister. "I can't believe that the League of Villains could do that to you! I mean they're certainly the scum of the earth but this... This is torture. I mean we're fucking teenagers! While I can't understand doing this to someone of any age, you're sixteen, and they made you-"

There was a sharp intake of air as Uraraka forcefully clasped her hands against her elbows, arms crossed against her chest as if to hold them back from delivering a punch.

"They made you do things that no person our age should have to do. That no one should ever have to do. And it's my- our fault that you had to endure it. That means it's our responsibility to save you. I wanted to be the one to prove that I'm a hero who can keep the people she cares about safe. And the funny thing is that for a while I was so sure I could. I knew I could save you from physical restraints, or threats, or even a mind control quirk if I had to. But this? This isn't the kind of problem you can just punch away."

Suddenly her anger became mingled with something else. Or rather, it was redirected. Izuku could tell that her fury wasn't only focused on the League of Villains, but at herself as well. She was still crying but now the tears were obviously born of frustration.

"If I can't keep my closest friends safe, then how am I ever supposed to save anyone else?"

Izuku did his best to frown, noticing with some annoyance that basic expression now took effort to form as well as emotion.

"Please don't think of this like that Uraraka. I may be a lost cause but I'm not letting my future affect anyone else. I know what I've done tonight contradicts it to a degree, but I've made my peace with my new life. It really isn't so bad, and you shouldn't have to hurt yourself worrying about me."

Izuku could tell that his false words, chosen to placate Uraraka, had done quite the opposite as soon as they left his mouth, but unfortunately there was no real way to take them back.

"I know you don't mean that." Uraraka scoffed, eyes narrowing. "You're back to how you were before, emotionless and empty. It's a defense mechanism. I'm not judging you for it, but it pretty much proves that this isn't what you want. You're so disillusioned with reality that you think it's easier not to feel. You basically said as much earlier. I know I might've sounded a bit defeatist earlier but that doesn't mean I'm giving this up. I'm going to save you, even if it has to be from yourself. Besides, even if we gave up on you... You realize what that would mean right? We can't just let you go. We'd have to bring you to authorities, and with everything they have proof of, you'd be tried as an adult. They know you're responsible for at least two cases of manslaughter, and if you can't prove beyond a doubt that something was done to alter your mental state... They wouldn't just send you to jail. That's grounds for capital punishment."

"In that case why are you even trying to help me? From your perspective there's literally no good way for this to pan out. It's a lose lose situation."

"Not if we find proof that you've been coerced! But to do that we need you to be willing to retrieve it. I'm sure that someone at the League of Villain's headquarters has proof of the transaction with masquerade, you just need to find it. While you're working on that, we can look for a cure for your condition. That's how we'll do it!"

From the way Uraraka punctuated her declaration with a determined raising of her right index, Izuku guessed that she'd made up the plan on the spot.

"I'm sorry Uraraka but that isn't plausible. I'm not going to risk my current by doing something like that, especially when I'm not even sure that a cure exists. If I were to agree to your plan, you'd have to show me some evidence first."

"What do you mean by current position?" Uraraka demanded, her face morphing into an expression of disbelief. "You can't actually be planning on staying with those people?"

"They aren't all bad. Well I mean some of them are but-"

"You're defending them?" Uraraka half yelled, her eyes narrowing. "After all this? Do you have Stockholm syndrome?"

"I don't know, maybe?" Izuku bit back with a halfhearted shrug. "But I think it's more so the fact that if this gets ruined for me, then they aren't going to kill me. They're going to kill all of you, and maybe even throw me out to boot. If that happens then I either end up killing random civilians unsupervised or I turn myself in and still probably kill someone while my case is pending before getting shot in the head by a cop. I'll let you have your own opinions, but neither outcome is very appealing to me."

He hated being so short fused, especially after he'd just confessed, but the words were out before he could stop them.

"You keep acting like I'm the only one proposing losing scenarios but what about what you just said? That you couldn't keep living like that? Wouldn't you risk anything to get things back to normal? You say you don't want to lose yourself, but if you aren't willing to put this on the line then maybe you already have!"

Uraraka's hand almost immediately moved up to cover her mouth, her eyes wide as if she herself was shocked by what she'd said. But it was too late to take back what she'd said, and Izuku could feel the sting of the words even as she began to utter a fervent apology.

"I'm so sorry I don't know what I was-"

"Don't apologize."

Izuku had planned to say more. After all, his response had left so much unsaid.

 _Don't apologize because you're right, even if I don't want to admit it. Because you can't take back what you just said, and the damage has already been done. Because if I'm not willing to fight for myself then I don't deserve it. Because the fact that you're willing to just shows how bad it is that I can't. Because the longer this conversation goes on the more I feel like killing someone and if it doesn't stop then eventually I won't be able to hold back._

But he didn't say more. He just focused on staring down at his feet in silence.

And then suddenly, there was a knock from the direction of the attic's ladder. It was brusque and forceful despite it's rehearsed rhythm, almost as if the wooden surface was being punched rather than knocked.

"Is that some sort of signal?" Izuku asked, changing his voice back to a cold, emotionless monotone. "Because that certainly sounds like Bakugou."

"Yes." Uraraka responded faintly, her head turning to look over at the entrance. "I told him not to come up here unless I gave him a signal first, but if he thought I was in immediate danger based on what he heard, then I said he was allowed to initiate."

"Based on what he heard?" There was something Izuku certainly didn't like about that sentence, but still he fought to keep an even voice. "Has he been listening to all of this?"

Uraraka tensed, but nodded her head, eyes still looking anywhere but at Izuku.

"I've had my phone opened on a call in my pocket, his end was set on mute. It was a safety precaution he insisted on, I argued against it but-"

"Just like I said. You have absolutely no sense of self-preservation." Izuku sighed, shaking his head slightly. He was extremely annoyed that Bakugou had just heard his entire story as well, but in the end it didn't really matter. After all, if everything went according to plan, nothing Bakugou knew would have the chance to affect anything. Besides, he was glad that someone was looking out for Uraraka's safety. "Invite him up if you want, there really isn't anything I can do about it."

Izuku looked pointedly at the restraints around his wrists and ankles as if to emphasize his uselessness in the situation.

"I'm not sure that's the best idea considering why you're here in the first place." Uraraka replied skeptically, fiddling nervously with a strand of her hair. "I don't doubt you could break out of those with some motivation, and while I'm fairly certain you won't hurt me voluntarily, he's another story."

Before Uraraka had even finished her sentence's last syllable, there was anther knock from the attic's entrance, this one louder and more enunciated than the first.

"I'm sure the two of you could take me if you really wanted to. Both of you have before individually during training. Besides, you'll only be safer if you have someone to back you up."

Uraraka frowned, obviously considering the option. Her eyes met with Izuku's for a second before she looked away, pulling out her phone.

"Fine. You can come up." She conceded, her voice immediately followed by sounds of movement from downstairs. "But be on guard."

Surprisingly enough, Bakugou wasn't alone when he entered the attic. Yaoyorozu, looking weary but at the same time alert, filed into the space behind him before moving to stand protectively at Uraraka's side. Bakugou did the same after shooting a threatening look at Izuku. Neither of them seemed half as trusting as their classmate had been.

"Momo? I thought you were going to sleep so you could still attend school tomorrow."

"I was woken up by Bakugou's exclamation earlier and decided to see what was going on. After hearing your conversation I chose to stay."

Izuku took note of the tranquilizer gun clutched in Yaoyorozu's hand, likely the same one that had been used on him earlier. Following his line of sight, she shifted the weight of the weapon in her hands.

"I'm sorry Izuku, I know two doses would be dangerous if administered so close together, but I promise I won't do so unless you give me a reason to."

Izuku nodded in respect despite the cautiously hostile tone of the girl's voice. "I'll try not to."

That comment earned a disdainful grunt from Bakugou.

"You're so full of shit. Either promise that you won't or say nothing at all." He growled, not hiding the contempt in his voice. "You're already on thin fucking ice."

"Bakugou!" Uraraka reprimanded, her eyes narrowing. "He-"

"Keeps defending the people who captured him despite everything they've done while disrespecting one of the only people in the world who's still kind enough to try and rescue him despite the fact that it puts her future career, not to mention life, in danger?" Bakugou completed. "Yeah, it seems like he's been pretty fucking shitty."

Yaoyorozu met Izuku in the eyes, but her gaze wasn't particularly fierce or comforting. More than anything it looked as though she was trying to read him objectively, like she hadn't decided exactly how to feel about him yet.

"Look I'm sure we can all agree that Izuku's been a bit impolite, but under the circumstances I don't think we're in any place to judge." She stated, weapon still poised to focus on the floor at his feet. "We should try to be as understanding as possible. He's only in the situation he is because he was trying to keep the two of you safe. That's an important thing to consider here Bakugou."

"I'm just saying that maybe he should be a bit more appreciative to Uraraka." Bakugou's gaze offset Yaoyorozu's, entirely composed of distrust. "Especially since she's been nothing but nice to him throughout this entire experience when all he's done is act like a dick."

"He has a good reason to be rude." Uraraka cut in, crossing her arms. "And I don't need you to be angry for me. If I have a reason to hold a grudge with Izuku I'll tell him myself, so don't speak for me."

Izuku couldn't help but feel all the rehearsed contempt from before come rushing back as he met Bakugou's gaze, Toga's words playing on repeat in his head. He was almost excited to notice that his earlier wave of nostalgia had passed, replaced by disdain enough to match Bakugou's own.

"God you're a hypocrite. You've cursed about four times since entering the room and interrupted her without apology." Izuku snorted flippantly. "The only reason you're even here right now is to feed your own ego by catching this week's most popular serial killer. The idea that you're even close to being in the right is laughable."

"Izuku, you're not helping." Uraraka reprimanded. "You don't have to act like this anymore now that we know the truth. Can we please try to keep this from devolving into an argument?"

"Doubtful. Bakugou hardly seems mature enough to drop his ridiculous white knight complex and I'm hardly in a good enough mood to let it slide."

Izuku knew that the way he was acting was childish, but he was also past the point of caring. If Bakugou was so set on acting like an ass than he might as well join in. Maybe it would even be enough to convince him to throw the first punch. That would save Izuku some trouble at least.

"I'm not going to sink to your level." Bakugou nearly snarled. "So fuck off."

"Really?" Izuku leered, forming an expression of mock surprise. "That's pretty hard to believe considering that you've basically used the bar of moral standards as your own personal limbo stick since you were four. It really shouldn't be too difficult for you to go a bit lower after so much practice."

Bakugou's eyes turned dark, a storm brewing beneath their surface.

"Don't ask for a fight you can't handle, or you'll regret it." He glowered, hands forming into fists at his sides. "We're trying to help you. If you can't get that into your dense fucking skull after all of this then you're even more of an idiot than I thought."

Before Bakugou could even finish his thought, Yaoyorozu jumped out in front of him, one hand outstretched towards Bakugou palm open, and the other pointing the tranquilizer gun directly at Izuku's chest.

"Maybe both of you should stop talking," She advised coldly, eyes staring daggers at Bakugou. "before someone decides to make you. We're all young adults here and there's no reason we can't act like it. Let's stop with the empty threats and start acting our age."

Bakugou nodded begrudgingly leaving Izuku no option but to follow his example.

"Fine. So then what are you two here for besides personally attacking me?" Izuku asked, his eyes shifting pointedly from Bakugou as he spoke. "I thought _he_ was only supposed to come up if things got dangerous."

"That's true, but we thought that we might as well join you in discussing the future as long as our opinions hold stake." Yaoyorozu clarified, stepping warily back from in between the two boys. "Uraraka was proposing a fairly logical plan, but it seemed as if it could use a bit of tweaking as well as convincing on our parts. I knew you weren't likely to react well to our presences, but I'd hoped that wouldn't be an issue now that we know you don't voluntarily bear us ill will."

Izuku saw Bakugou's skeptical expression at Yaoyorozu's final statement and couldn't help but smirk internally.

"Not to be rude," Bakugou began, putting as much emphasis as he could on the word rude. "but we still can't really be certain we're safe, can we? After all he never told us the exact time limit on his condition. For all we know he could be ready to snap any second."

This declaration caused all three of the room's other occupants to turn to Izuku with anxious expression, silently goading him to deny their fears.

"I shouldn't pose an immediate danger for at least a few hours based on how I'm feeling now." Izuku assured, watching as the looks on their faces changed from skittish to uneasy. "I have some control over it until about twenty four hours, and I did something about it right before I left to come here. Or, well, to Bakugou's house, but the distinction really isn't important right now."

Even thinking about death brought on the insistent call of his impulse, though he tried to keep his mind focused solely on Bakugou as far as it was concerned.

"Good, thank you for informing us." Yaoyorozu's shoulders relaxed a bit, but her finger was still on the trigger of her weapon. "Though this does complicate the ethical background of our plan. If we allow you return to the League to retrieve the information we need, then kill whoever they supply, correct?"

"Yeah. Letting me go will certainly end up getting some people killed. Countless more if you can't find the miraculous cure you're all looking for." Izuku agreed. "Not to mention that if I go back without offing one of you, the League will do it for me and then some. You might think the threat is empty because of what little gain the venture would bring, but unfortunately one person in particular is just petty enough that I know they'll deliver."

This declaration brought an uncomfortable wave of silence over the room until Uraraka stepped forward, clearing her throat ceremoniously.

"So one of us just needs to lie low for long enough to trick the League, right?" She reasoned, eyes surveying her classmates. "We could even get the school's staff in on it and do schoolwork from home. It would be-"

"Completely insane. There's no way in hell that any of you are letting what you've heard get out of this room. The three of you know and no one else, got it?" Izuku warned, his stance defensive. "If you were going to play dead then you'd have to do it in complete secret, funeral and all. There are too many factors involved for anyone else to know. I shouldn't even have told Uraraka much less let the two of you in on this mess."

Yaoyorozu managed to look adequately apologetic, but Bakugou didn't even bat an eye.

"Fine then. I'm still willing to volunteer." Uraraka announced almost immediately, her voice brimming with determination. "It's going to be hard putting my parents through that, but if it saves you then I'm willing to do it."

"No." Yaoyorozu, Bakugou, and Izuku all stated together in perfect unison before looking up in awed agreement.

"Remember when I told you that you weren't going to gain anything if you decided to risk your own happiness for this Uraraka?" Yaoyorozu jumped to the point first, her voice kind but firm. "Because I can't imagine a better definition of that than what you're currently proposing."

"Exactly." Bakugou agreed, tilting his head to shoot a look at Izuku, as if he had proposed the idea instead of Uraraka. "Besides we still haven't addressed the other issue on the table. You know, the whole Izuku murdering innocents if we let him go thing. Maybe we should work through that problem first."

"Don't worry about it. The people they give me are criminals anyway."

Izuku was surprised by his own lie, but he was more surprised that he'd felt the need to tell it. Despite the fact that he felt his situation so hopeless, he had been partially swept up by the nativity of the others, by the idea that he could get his old life back.

That, of course, was still undeniably a lie. Even if he were to somehow magically get rid of his condition, his life would never be normal. He'd still be tormented by everything in his past, even more so than when he'd had an excuse, and the press would never let UA live it down if they accepted a known murderer back into their school. And then he'd have to pass on his quirk to someone else. He was obviously unfit for it, and the only thing stopping him right now was how useful it was to his current disposition. Well that, and the fact that he couldn't stand being quirkless again. Not after seeing what life could be like with a quirk.

Without the motivation of the thrill he got from a kill, he suspected he'd probably end up committing suicide before his next birthday. He'd certainly be happier if he finally just let go like he'd planned. But then again, that would also make him a monster, and no matter how horrible the alternative he didn't want to face that kind of fate. At least not yet.

So he didn't correct himself. Maybe he could hold on a little longer. At least to see how the whole idea panned out. It wouldn't hurt to at least try. Not until he failed.

"Oh." Yaoyorozu responded simply, darting a quick look back at Izuku's eyes. "Well... That's still objectively immoral but I suppose that you'd probably be hurting civilians in any other situation... Fine. We'll have to let it pass. Uraraka are you sure you're okay with this?"

Izuku hadn't expected his lie to be accepted so easily, but maybe he'd improved more than he'd thought. That, or he was just so different that no one could read him anymore.

"I am. I know what I've set out to do and I'm not straying from it." Uraraka responded, grinning encouragingly in a way that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I could even stay here in the attic if you're fine with that. Judging from the dust in here it isn't used often."

Yaoyorozu put a hand against her chin thoughtfully, resting her elbow atop her other arm. "You're certainly welcome to. I could bring up our guest mattress and dressings as well if you wanted, and I can make the basic necessities if I have to."

The girl pulled a toothbrush from the skin on her arm in demonstration.

"I know it might seem a bit gross, but I promise it's completely sanitary."

Uraraka smiled and took the object, turning it over in her hands for observation.

"Thank you so much Momo. I promise I'll be as polite a house guest as I can."

Bakugou still looked as if he was averse to the idea but displayed his opinion in looks instead of words.

"So we've talked prerequisites, now we need an actual idea of how to solve... This." Bakugou gestured to Izuku. "We can't just read up on something like this. We're going to have to find other people with either brainwashing, persuasive, or regressive quirks to test out. And that's going to be pretty difficult when Deku won't let us talk to anyone about what's going on."

"Fine. Tell people. But only if they have a quirk you think can help. Stress how immeasurably important it is that they don't spread the word and don't let them in on anything until they've seen me. Get them to whatever meeting place we decide on under false pretenses and only bring them if you're sure they're trustworthy. That means no professional heroes. Actually, make that no adults if you can help it. And no one with a strong enough sense of moral character that they feel an obligation to turn me in right away."

"Does this mean you're on board?" Yaoyorozu asked, her eyebrows raising quizzically.

"Yes. But only if I don't have to jeopardize my position until I'm cured." He paused for emphasis, turning to look back at Bakugou. "And if you can't find a cure soon enough, then I'll have to kill one of you to save the rest. I feel like the League won't mind being lied to if I still bring down one of the approved targets as soon as the truth gets out."

That was a lie of course, but he'd have to burn that bridge when he came to it.

"Okay!" Uraraka interrupted a bit too over zealously, moving to put herself between Bakugou and Izuku's lines of sight. "So there's the plan! It's immoral and flimsy, but it's ours! Now it's about time we put it into action. Momo, could you make a key for Izuku's restraints so he can get going? The testosterone in this room to starting to become suffocating."

"Ah- Right. Yes I can."

Yaoyorozu drew out a key from her upper arm, cautiously approaching Izuku before unlocking both of his bindings. She darted back to the other side of the room as soon as both had been removed, leaving Izuku to appreciate his wide range of movement with a quick stretch.

"Well, thanks for not turning me in to the police. Guess I should be going now, where's the door and all that-"

"Wait." Bakugou interrupted. "I want to talk to you about something in private before you leave."

Izuku wasn't the only one who was surprised.

"Really Bakugou? After all this fighting? Do you really think that's the best idea?" Uraraka asked, her smile becoming strained.

Bakugou turned to look Izuku in the eyes. "I have some questions about your quirk. I promise it'll be quick."

Izuku froze. Of course that's what he would ask about. Bakugou was one of the few people who knew about One For All after all.

"Fine." Izuku replied. "We'll talk outside so Uraraka can start settling in."

The two girls shared a confused glance as they walked away but didn't object further. Izuku almost wished they had.

* * *

 **I'm so sorry for the delay in this chapter's production, thank you all so much for your patience!**

 **Comment and follow if you enjoy, and as always thanks for reading!**


	20. Chapter 20

Bakugou spared no time in making his point, speaking almost as soon as the two of them exited the sill of the window and entered the cold morning air.

"I can't fucking believe you." He snapped, not even bothering to turn and face Izuku despite the intensity of his words. "After everything that's happened, you still haven't passed your quirk onto someone else? Don't you know what's on the line here?"

Izuku recoiled away, partially due to the volume of Bakugou's voice but more so the meaning of his words. In the chaos of the past month he'd nearly forgotten that his classmate was aware of the true nature of his quirk, especially considering what a recent development it had been. Looking back on it Bakugou was probably one of the very few people who knew the true motive behind his kidnapping, a goal which he assumed consisted of taking back control of the One For All quirk succession, injuring the reputation of UA, and personally attacking All Might in one fell swoop.

Unfortunately that also meant that Bakugou was one of the few people who would know just how awful his actions up to this point had been, since the succession ability of his quirk made the events of the past few weeks easily preventable. If Izuku had simply given One For All to someone else, anyone else, then he would've effectively rendered himself incapable of combat, at least to the point where he really posed a danger to others. Furthermore he could've kept the abilities so closely linked to the symbol of peace from falling into the possession of the League of Villains, at least until they located whoever he'd transferred it to.

But instead he'd played right into the League's hands, something Izuku was sure Bakugou would deem the worst kind of failure possible, and he was inclined to agree.

Of course he wasn't in the mood to admit that, certainly not after the events of that night. Whether he was playing a part or not, he'd picked a hill, and he was determined to die on it if he couldn't find a better grave.

"It isn't any of your business." Izuku retorted, aware of the fact that his own words were untrue. One For All had become Bakugou's business the minute Izuku had decided to admit he had inherited it. "I'm going to do what I want with my quirk and you can't do anything stop me short of killing me, so there isn't any point in arguing over it unless you're prepared to do it with your fists."

There was a heavy, tension laden pause which settled over the garden as Izuku closed his mouth, as sudden and all consuming as a siren. It was as if the wind had stopped and the crickets had quieted, all for the sake of making this one moment as difficult to endure as possible. Though Bakugou still hadn't turned, Izuku could feel the fury radiating off of him in waves, and in a resurgence of childhood habits, he had to fight to prevent himself from running.

 _This is it._ Izuku told himself, preparing to dodge or block if an explosion happened to surge towards him in the next few seconds. _I guess someone is going to die tonight._

And there it was, the now familiar amalgamation of fear, disgust, and a primal, animal excitement. Maybe it had been too long since he'd left, or perhaps he was simply too tired to care, but the fear and disgust were a bit more muted than usual.

Finally Bakugou turned and met his eyes, but instead of moving, he spoke. "Fine. Maybe it isn't _my_ business. But what do you think the other holders of One for all would think? How about All Might?"

Izuku was suddenly thrown strongly and inexplicably off guard. He hadn't been prepared for that attack. Not a punch, but words that hurt worse than one.

While Izuku had been loathe to think about any of his recent actions, he'd taken especial care into moving thoughts of One For All to the back of his mind. It was all too much to consider. The legacy he was disgracing, his idol, whom he was doubtlessly disappointing, and the responsibility he had proven he wasn't equipped to be entrusted with.

Not long ago he'd had dreams and occasional visions regarding One For All, its past holders speaking to him in hushed tones about the implications of his abilities.

He hadn't dreamt at all lately of One For All or otherwise, much less seen a vision. After all, who would willingly help their enemy?

The lack of contact had helped him to bury his powers origins, but they had also made him incredibly uneasy. A constant reminder that he was alone. That no legends, no friends, no heroes, were going to cheer him on any longer. His only supporters were villains.

Izuku didn't know exactly how All Might felt about the ordeal, but if it were Izuku in his position, he was sure the first thing he'd feel was regret.

Izuku could have told Bakugou that he didn't care. Or better yet he could've just suggested he fuck off. But his curiosity got the best of him.

"How is everyone reacting?" He asked, trying to hold the emotion from his voice. "All might, the rest of the class, my mom? How are they taking this?"

Bakugou scoffed. "If you want the nice answer to that question then you should go back inside and ask Uraraka."

"But that's the thing. I don't want the nice answer. I want the brutally honest one."

Bakugou sighed and tousled his hair, a gesture that Izuku had seen enough to know always accompanied either annoyance or discomfort. Probably both in this case.

"Well the rest of the class doesn't believe it, and the ones who do think you're not yourself. Like you've been brainwashed or completely forgotten us or something. I guess they don't want to come to terms with stuff." He shrugged. "I mean not that your brain hasn't been messed with, but they seem to think you don't have a choice."

Izuku tried to ignore the obvious jab, though it still stung.

"I have no idea about All Might. He hasn't come to UA since you showed up on the news and we obviously don't have any way to ask him. He's probably been out because of you though. I'll bet nothing like this has happened before with a One For All successor, so he's probably trying to find some kind of solution to this." Bakugou shot Izuku a pointed glance, as if reminding him who the blame lay with in the scenario. Izuku chose to ignore him again.

"Your mom... Well she's really pissed from what I've heard. Pissed and scared. She doesn't think it's really you either. Or at least that's what she told my mom. And that was just the first time you showed up on the news. I haven't gotten an update in awhile though, so maybe things have changed." The tone in his voice implied they probably hadn't.

"The group who showed up tonight in particular? We're split down the middle when it comes to how we feel about this. Uraraka thinks we should save you because we're heroes, whether you want to be saved or not. She seems to believe you fall into the former category for some reason. Kirishima, Iida, and Todoroki agree more with her than with me."

"So what do you and Yaoyorozu think?" Izuku asked, fearing the answer.

"We believe we need to save you, but that the only way to do that now might be to turn you in." Bakugou answered. "She wants to for the rest of the class, so they'll stop worrying about you, but she's open to bringing you back if we can find a way to. It's kind of useless if you ask me."

Izuku felt his spirits drop unexpectedly. For whatever reason he'd assumed Yaoyorozu would want to help him, though he wasn't sure why he was disappointed that she didn't.

"I want to turn you in because I refuse to let a problem I caused to be the reason people get hurt. It's unheroic. Not to mention I get zero kicks out of contributing to a villain's origin story."

Izuku desperately wanted to kick something after hearing Bakugou's opinion, but instead decided the safer thing to do would be concentrating his emotions into a joke.

"You're using comic book terminology to try and guilt trip me? And you call me a nerd." He smirked, cocking his head to one side as he let himself fall to lean against the wall behind him.

Instead of getting angry or lashing out with a similar insult like Izuku had expected, Bakugou's tone remained even as he responded.

"See, you say this is an act, this whole shitty one liner slinging, tonally inconsistent, unhinged psycho thing... But sometimes this feels way more fitting now than the cliche nerd look ever did. You can play the victim all you want but I'm not buying it. Uraraka might think the opposite, but seeing you like this, up close again, I'd say this all fits you way too well. That's what freaks me out about all this. It's why I don't think you can be saved in the same way everyone else does. You may have been forced to kill people but now you enjoy it, and I mean beyond however much you were meant to. You like being a villain now, and for some reason it really seems to suit you."

"Wow, you're just full of surprises today." Izuku meant for his voice to sound lightly caustic but it came out as threatening. "I'd just love to hear more of your opinions about how _I_ feel. They're so infinitely enlightening."

"Well I have one more." Bakugou responded, unblinking. "You know the guy from the USJ incident? The freak wearing all the hands? I'm guessing you two must be pretty great friends now because you give off the exact same vibe. Aside from the quips, you're just like him, down to the random mood shifts."

"What?" The only thing currently keeping Izuku from kicking in Bakugou's chest was shock. For whatever reason Bakugou had known the exact combination of words which would, at the same time, devastate and enrage him to the point of irrationality.

Though it wasn't just the words he said, it was the way he said them. Like he believed them. Like they were undeniable fact. And besides, they were hardly even relevant. He hadn't needed to say them, he'd wanted to. Maybe because he knew they'd make Izuku angry, or maybe just because he thought Izuku would agree. Either way it was beyond insulting.

Maybe because Izuku was afraid they might be accurate.

He struggled to regain his composure, but by then the rage had already appeared on his face, eliciting a nod from Bakugou.

"See. Just like that. It's like you're not even in control of yourself anymore. You're unraveling." He commented. "And soon, they're might not be any differences between the two of you at all."

Izuku couldn't hold himself back anymore, rushing forward somewhat blindly to attack Bakugou.

Of course his lack of focus, allowed his opponent to easily dodge the advance, though there was no smirk or mockery present when Izuku turned his head to look back at Bakugou after they had both re-positioned.

"See. You're lashing out instead of talking when you're angry. You're like a fucking five year old. You don't seem to have any concept of right or wrong when you fight anymore, you just want to shut up whoever pissed you off. If you try to rush me again you're just gonna prove my point."

Izuku knew it was true, but every muscle in his body was aching for a fight and every cell in his brain was telling him he wanted one. Instead he turned away, planting his feet in the ground and biting his tongue with so much force that he tasted blood. It wasn't about proving to Bakugou that he wouldn't give into the bait, it was about proving it to himself.

After what felt like an hour, but was in truth probably less than a minute, had passed, Izuku let himself relax, his emotions dulled down to a river instead of a flood.

He looked down in surprise at his now unclenched fists, which boasted small, crescent shaped marks from the places where his nails had broken the skin. The tip of his tongue was all but mangled, and his mouth now tasted overwhelmingly of rust.

"Don't ever say anything like that to me again." It burned when he spoke, but Izuku still felt as though he needed to say at least something.

Bakugou didn't respond, though the silence was broken by the sound of his phone buzzing. He reached into his pocket to grab it, typing something before he slid it back in.

"Yaoyorozu is going to come down and give you something. She apparently needs you to fake Uraraka's death before you go back, and she has a plan." Bakugou began to walk away as he spoke. "I'm going home. I need to be there before my parents wake up."

"Wait!" Izuku yelled, the words escaping his mouth before he could stop them. "If you think I'm such a lost cause, then why are you still going along with this plan?"

Bakugou stalled for a minute, though Izuku almost expected him not to answer.

"Some people who are really important to me either want to go through with it or would if they knew, so I'm going to help them. This isn't about you in the slightest. I actually don't really care if you never recover. And if things start looking bleak your ass is still on it's way to prison, no detours necessary."

Izuku narrowed his eyes, watching as Bakugou hopped the garden fence and disappeared from view. As soon as he was gone, however, Izuku rubbed the places where his hands were bleeding, slightly surprised that the wounds somehow didn't hurt in the slightest.

"Izuku."

Yaoyorozu's voice drew Izuku's attention back to the windowsill, where the girl sat with a full trash bag resting across her lap, it's tie knotted into a curt looking bow.

"We're obviously going to have to give the reporters some reason to believe that you were responsible for killing Uraraka. Otherwise they might count her as one of the many civilian disappearance cases that have been occurring lately. I constructed a mannequin that's designed to look like Uraraka from far away, though under close scrutiny it will be obviously fake. All you need to do is bring it to the nearest landfill and throw it into the incinerator. Then, no one will be able to tell if the body was real or fake, and you'll be caught on security camera. Naturally that means that you'll have to remove the trash bag at some point..." Yaoyorozu awkwardly gestured to the trash bag in her lap. "But on the way over I figured this would be a bit more inconspicuous if anyone happens to be awake. Here are the directions if you can't find your way."

Yaoyorozu handed a piece of perfectly folded paper before looking down melancholically, her expression a mixture of disbelief and weariness.

"I can't believe I'm helping a known criminal break the law right now. Even more than that I can't believe the criminal is you."

She met Izuku's eyes then, the corners of her mouth turning upward in a bittersweet grin.

"Please make sure you're able to come back to us safely. I try to be logical, but at the end of the day it seems I'm a bit too similar to everyone else. You're a close friend, and whether I'm missing you or who you used to be, I'd still love to have you back."

With that said, Yaoyorozu set the bag on the ground below the sill and slid inside, placing both hands on the tinted frame as if about to close it.

"Uraraka told me to wish you good luck. I'm not sure quite what she meant by that, but I think she wants you to remain safe... I share the sentiment. Goodnight."

The window slid shut, and Izuku was left to collect what had been left for him in a cloud of confused emotions.

Every few minutes since he'd woken up that night, his opinion regarding his future seemed to change. Should he return, or was everyone better off with him gone, including himself?

Was it even worth buying into this stupid plan, just so that he could earn a few more days of sanity in a lifetime that promised nothing but lunacy?

He picked up the bag and left, still unsure of the answer.


	21. Chapter 21

**-Chapter Twenty-one -**

"C'mon, pickup already..." Izuku muttered, cringing at each successive tone as they indicated that his call had yet to be answered. "Toga I swear, if you're not awake yet..."

After disposing of the replica in the landfill as instructed, a task which had been both unpleasant and arduous, Izuku had come to the soul crushing realization that while he might've left his classmates on good terms, they'd had yet to return his singular form of communication with the League of Villains, something that was indispensable to his return to their base.

While it would've been easy for him to simply walk back in the middle of the night, morning was quickly rising across the city, meaning that the number of people capable of reconsigning him had risen exponentially. When he'd left the base previously during daylight, he'd always had a disguise, or at the very least something to cover his hair. Now, however, he was in full costume, an outfit which was unfortunately very easily recognized due to his recent rise in fame.

As a result he'd had to resort to using what little change he had to operate a secluded roadside payphone, though the activity hardly offered any coverage considering the booth's transparent walls, and Izuku couldn't help but feel increasingly paranoid as the sun became visible on the horizon.

Though Toga would likely need some time to locate Kurogiri, her's was unfortunately the only number Izuku knew, as she had told it to him in case of emergency. Unfortunately, she didn't seem extremely motivated to answer.

Just as the phone was finishing it's last few tones, Izuku heard a distinct click, as if someone had lifted it from the other end.

Izuku sighed in relief, opening his mouth to speak, but was cut off before he could begin.

"Izuku?" Toga's voice was so sudden and intense that Izuku almost dropped the phone in surprise. Her voice, which usually sounded either lightly caustic or joking, was now filled with an overpowering concern and anxiety. "Please, please tell me that's you. You didn't come back for so long, and then your tracker just spazzed out, and-"

"It's me." Izuku couldn't stop himself from grinning a bit despite his mounting annoyance with the events of the night, lack of sleep, and growing mental instability as a result of his command. Somehow he'd expected Toga to be asleep, unconcerned with his success or lack thereof, but to find her so worried was a surprisingly heartwarming development. "I'm fine but I need you to-"

"It's Izuku guys, he's okay!" Toga's voice sounded a bit more distant that time, as if she were addressing a room of people, though he could hear the relief in her words regardless.

Izuku's theory was confirmed as he heard a muffled second and third voice across the speaker. They were too obfuscated to be identified, but sounded as if they were similarly relieved to have gotten the call.

"Oh- uh yeah I don't know where he is. Wait a sec, I'll ask." Izuku could tell Toga was moving the receiver closer to her mouth once again as the muffled voices faded out. "Where are you exactly? And- oh, do you need us to get Kurogiri to pick you up?"

"Uh, yeah actually I'm-"

"Oh yeah, of course you do or you wouldn't be calling." Toga responded quickly, excitement still ringing in her voice. "Oh wait, you never told me where you were."

Izuku read off a nearby street sign, making sure to enunciate his words as clearly as possible. A few minutes later, he hung up and exited the booth, careful to check for passersby before heading into an alleyway where his transportation was waiting.

As soon as Izuku exited the portal, he was met with a strong force which, after a few shocked seconds had passed, he identified as Toga's arms enveloping him in a tight embrace.

"Uh- hey." He greeted awkwardly, attempting to steady himself. "It's good to see you too."

Toga released Izuku from the embrace, sporting an elated grin as she stepped back to stand beside the room's other occupants. He was surprised to see Dabi and Spinner in the welcome party, but less so by the addition of Kurogiri.

"Dude, what the hell happened? I thought you said that was supposed to be a quick there and back trip but it took you almost the whole night." Spinner asked. "And then the thing with your signal? Man, after that none of us could sleep. We just kept arguing over whether we should send someone out to get you or not."

"Things didn't really go to plan." Izuku replied with a shrug. "I was ambushed when I tried to confront my target and... Well, it kinda threw me for a loop. They took my earpiece which is why I'm assuming it went wild, but I still finished the job, so all's well that ends well I guess."

Toga, who was still smiling from ear to ear, nodded her head. "The really important thing is that you're okay! We were so worried you'd been captured... By the time you called we'd all pretty much stopped caring about whether you'd actually completed your task or not."

"Speak for yourself." Dabi cut in, a passive look on his face. "I thought I made it clear that I couldn't care less about this whole thing. I was just sticking around out of curiosity."

"Sure thing. You guys aren't friends at all." Toga stifled what could've conceivably been a giggle. "It's not like you were the first person to suggest we go out and check to make sure he was okay or anything, right?"

"Shut up." Dabi shot back, the tone in his voice slightly defensive despite his obvious efforts to the contrary. "I was just bored, that's all."

"Okay, fine." Toga smirked, putting her hands up in an exaggerated gesture of concession. "But I'm sure some of us who are entirely ambiguous and not to be collectively named were worried. Either way I'm sure everyone wants the whole story. We don't get a lot of entertainment around here if you can't tell."

"Um- Well- Maybe tomorrow? Or now I guess it's be later today? I'm pretty tired right now." Izuku suggested. He still hadn't thought of an entirely convincing cover story to replace the night's events, and he wanted at least a bit of time to collect himself before he was forced to speak. That wasn't even considering the fact that he'd had yet to kill since he'd left the night before, which was now technically considered yesterday. He'd rather sleep until he got his next opportunity to, especially since his unnatural irritation was likely to become noticeable as soon as the shock of his return wore off. "Not to mention that everything was kind of stressful. I'm just sort of out of it."

"You can't just leave us on a cliffhanger like that!" Toga finally frowned, braking her previously omnipresent smile. "Not after we waited so long to hear about it!"

"Midoriya has every right to retire to his room for the day if he so wishes." Kurogiri admonished, shooting Toga a stern look. "As he said the events of the night were likely just as stressful for him as they were for the rest of us if not more so. It is only logical that he would like to rest."

"Oh, right." Toga apologized, meeting Izuku's eyes as she spoke, her mouth morphing back into what he perceived as a slightly less genuine smile. He had been with the League long enough to be able to read them quickly, and he knew the grin signified more than he would've assumed in the past. "I guess I got a little carried away there, sorry."

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Izuku couldn't help but feel a creeping unease a Toga's expression, less because of the fact that it seemed forced and more because it suggested suspicion. "I might be better after I get some rest. I'll tell you about it then."

Toga nodded, the motion just a bit too curt to be considered usual. "I'm looking forward to it. See ya then."

Izuku gave a small wave as Toga pivoted towards the door, her eyes casting back over her shoulder to linger on his for a few seconds before the door shut behind her. Toga certainly seemed as though she was suspicious of something, but Izuku was far too emotionally exhausted to deal with it before at least a three hour nap.

"Well, I guess I'll be going too then." Izuku addressed the remainder of the room. "Don't wake me up unless there's an emergency. Actually on second thought, just don't wake me up at all."

As soon as Izuku got back to his small living space, he showered and changed, donning a loose t-shirt and pair of pajama pants. While the League hadn't allowed Izuku to go out and shop himself, apparently not trusting him to responsibly spend any significant amount of the group's funds, they had bought him a few outfits in his size since he'd arrived. Since the task had fallen to Toga, none of the outfits were exactly his style, but they were much preferred to the hand-me-downs he'd been given previously.

When Izuku finally reached his loft, he was surprised to see something small and rectangular resting on his bed. As he got closer, he realized that the object was a present, or at least something resembling one. Though plain, the wrapping was impeccable, interrupted only by a sticky note which had been placed on the package's surface.

Izuku instantly recognized the majority of the handwriting as Toga's, though it appeared as though Dabi had signed it along with her in the bottom right hand corner. Izuku sat down and lifted the paper, squinting to read the immense wall of text that the girl had managed to cram onto one small note.

 _Hey Izuku, if you're reading this, then you finished Shigaraki's stupid task! Good job! This means that you're officially a real bonafide member of the League now, which is pretty good for you even if you don't know it yet, cause that means that now, you can actually do what you want! Well kinda. I mean there are still going to be some restrictions and stuff, but you can't really blame us too much. Main point is though, that since you're an official member, you can have a phone now! Dabi and I put some of our spare allowance together and bought you one, but we had to run it past Kurogiri first, so it's got safety mode on. You can't really call anyone other than League members, but that isn't really too much of an issue, right? I put Dabi and I in as contacts already, so don't be afraid to text or call us whenever. Also one more thing, your on the League's internet plan, so we can monitor your search history and stuff. I know it's a bummer, sorry, but again, you can't really blame us. I already sent you some memes, so check em out when you can! ;)_

 _Toga & Dabi_

Izuku set the box on the ground by the side of his bed, fighting down a sweeping wave of guilt as he looked down at the note clutched in his hand. He was certainly used to feeling guilty by now, but for something he'd done to the League? That was new. It wasn't like Toga and Dabi trusted him obviously, but here they were going out of their way to buy him something for no other reason than that they believed it would make him happy.

Yet here he was, still constantly denying any friendship with them and going behind their backs to plot against them. He knew he shouldn't feel guilty. Not after everything they'd done. But he did. And somehow, he realized with a strong pang of fear, he felt worse about this than he had about how he'd treated his classmates that night.

Infuriated with his clashing emotions, Izuku forcefully crumpled up the note until it was a minuscule sphere and threw it out into the warehouse before collapsing backwards onto his bed with a disgruntled exhale. He knew his annoyance stemmed partially from a lack of command fulfillment, but he wasn't about to go and admit he needed to do something about it when he'd supposedly taken care of the issue less than an hour ago.

The only thing that could really help him right now was sleep, but even that was difficult when he had so much on his mind.

It was only after he'd stepped back from the situation with his classmates that he realized just how dangerous their plan really was. No matter how things panned out, they was promised a losing situation. If the plan went as they had projected, they would be caught lying to several important figures as well as the legal system, and Izuku would be put on trial in a case he was almost certain he couldn't win. If the plan failed, then Izuku would be caught betraying the League, and everyone he loved would die.

Even worse, the first plan ran off the assumption that Izuku could actually be cured, something he didn't believe was entirely possible in any scenario.

Izuku found himself strongly and painfully regretting his choice, especially after he thought of what his lack of involvement would've entailed. Surely Bakugou would've died, but after how the two had interacted last night, Izuku would certainly prefer that to putting Uraraka at risk.

Uraraka, who had somehow still believed in him after everything. Uraraka, who had hugged him even knowing what he'd done. Uraraka, who had, infuriatingly enough, reignited his failing will to live, even if only for a second.

He hadn't deserved even any of what she'd done, but she'd still done it, and despite being incredibly heartwarming under different circumstances, her efforts were, in this situation, incredibly aggravating.

They'd given Izuku hope, and now he was going to pay for it in blood. Whether it was his own or his friend's remained to be seen.

He could just pretend last night had never happened. He could go back and kill Bakugou, pretending that the whole Uraraka situation had just been a misunderstanding. Or, at this point, he could probably even admit his guilt as long as he went back to finish what he'd started. But then, the remainder of last night's escapade could always just tell the media his secret. He'd given away important leverage in a moment of emotional weakness, and now it seemed there was no going back.

Besides, there was always the moral dilemma of every situation to consider. If he went back on his word with his friends, they would never trust him again. They'd actually know for certain that he was the psycho he outwardly portrayed himself as, and despite being correct the realization would hurt both parties regardless.

Of course Izuku couldn't stop at weighing the measurable effects of his actions, he just had to think about their abstract ones too. He had always been empathetic, but only in this new life was he realizing what a glaring weakness it was.

Suddenly, he felt an overwhelming urge to just give up, to stop caring and finally throw in the towel. Sure his empathy was what made him human, but if this was what it did to him, was being human even worth it in the first place?

He frowned, suddenly recalling Uraraka's pleading eyes from the night before. Their depth, their emotion. Their seeming inability to see him for what he was. It reminded him far too much of someone he'd been trying to forget. Or remember. It was hard to tell, as split as he was.

Almost methodically, he pulled the small knife out from between his bed frame an mattress, squinted as it reflected the dull sunlight streaming in through his window.

Being human was still worth it. And it would be for as long as he could remember.

Maybe it wasn't the empathy that made him human after all. It was the guilt.


	22. Chapter 22

**-Chapter 22-**

 _Izuku opened his eyes to unveil a void of light and darkness dancing around him. The scene was familiar, but only slightly, as if he had previously visited this strange world he now found himself in in a very distant and clouded past. Despite the slight recognition, however, this place did not feel welcome to him._

 _The very makeup of the place rejected him, a truth which only became more ingrained into his consciousness as he gazed further into the endless mass of nothingness before him. It wasn't a painful feeling per se. It was simply the growing, inescapable knowledge that he was not supposed to be here. That this place did not want him and likely never would. A feeling that sunk to his very core, a truth that simply was._

 _But somehow, he could not accept it. As much as he knew this infinite space condemned him, he wanted to believe that it was_ still _his, wanted to believe that he_ still _belonged here, that he_ still _deserved to be. Because, as he could vaguely recall, he had been welcomed here once, in some appropriately distant past which he was still a bit too foggy to remember in its entirety._

 _He tried to speak, to call out to someone, something, to ask why he was here, why he felt what he did, why he wasn't welcome, only to realize he couldn't. Potions of his body and face were draped in swaths of shadow, deep and all consuming, and somehow he was already certain that the missing pieces were inoperable. He could not speak or move, he was simply there to observe. Another ineffable truth. Though it wasn't yet clear what he was meant to be watching._

 _Turning his eyes up from the darkness enveloping his form, Izuku's eyes met with those of another. A women distanced about six feet away from him, hair tied into a messy updo, stared back. Nana Shimura. He knew who she was, but couldn't recall her significance with his mind as hazy as it was._

 _He was certain it was her fault he was in this place though he didn't know why, and he couldn't form the words to ask. There was something tragic in her gaze, a profound and intricate sorrow that he couldn't comprehend. There was also, upon further inspection, a great deal of pity in those eyes. A pity that was directed at him._

 _Izuku began to feel more eyes turn to him, their gazes studying him with the same melancholy as the first. As difficult as it was to tear his vision from the face on which it was currently affixed, he managed to make out a group of silhouettes in the distance. They were far too distant to recognize, but somehow, that didn't make their intent any more difficult to decipher._

 **Midoriya Izuku.** _The women's voice managed to be both imposing and melancholy, a sound which was as chilling as it was inescapable. He knew this was the first time he had been spoken to here, at least like this, and the knowledge somehow made the interaction feel even more unnatural._ **My protege, Yagi Toshinori, selected you as the next successor of the quirk One for All.**

 _Izuku closed his eyes, muscles tensing. He knew what was coming. Why he'd been brought here. The events of the past began to flood back into his mind, and suddenly, he knew with a startling clarity that he did not want to hear what he was about to be told. He tried to turn his head to look away, but knew he couldn't, a wave of shame and guilt hitting him like a tidal wave._

 **In light of recent events... In light of recent events we have decided that it would be best for you to...** _Izuku watched the woman's previously composed expression falter, her eyes becoming unfocused in the dull light. It felt as though the women had stopped seeing him and begun seeing someone different entirely. In his peripheral, Izuku vaguely noticed the other shapes dissipating, as if what was being said was meant to stay between himself and the woman in front of him._

 **What has happened to you is tragic. There is no denying this. I know it better than anyone else.** _The woman's voice had grown softer, less authoritative and more sympathetic, as if she speaking to a hurt animal._ **By forces beyond your control you have been warped into a tool for destruction. There is no one to be blamed but the ones who inflected such a fate upon you. This is not the first case of such an instance, but with your cooperation, there is a far greater chance of it being the last.**

 _The woman closed her eyes, her mouth forming into a thin line as if she was recalling an especially painful event._ **You are extremely young to have endured what you have, and under any other circumstances, I would do everything in my power to spare you from further pain. But here, in these circumstances, it is paramount that I advise you to do a very painful thing indeed.**

 **I'm aware that at one point, you were quirkless. This has long been a source of torment for you, as you have faced great hardship as a result of your former status. I understand this. It is now necessary, however, that you relinquish your current abilities to another. We had hoped that you might be strong enough to overcome this challenge, but appears that it was not meant to be. Understandably, you have been damaged beyond the point of recovery, and are now mentally unfit to possess the power that has been bestowed on you.**

 _Izuku felt a wave of chills as he moved to shake his head, panic rising as he realized he still couldn't move. He wanted to say no, that he couldn't give up his quirk, not after he'd waited so long to obtain it, worked so hard to master it. No matter what, he never wanted to go back to being the same quirkless nobody he'd been in middle school, a time which now felt as though it must've been in a different life. Everything had changed so drastically since he'd been given a quirk, and it was all for the better. Even now, even with everything that had happened, he wasn't willing to give that up. Not easily at least._

 _The woman seemed to feel his opposition to the idea, frowning as their eyes met once more._ **As I have stated, I know this is a difficult task to ask of you. Perhaps the most difficult I could've conjured. But I cannot allow All For One to direct you as he intends. He would have you stand alongside his successor, symbol of chaos and bloodshed. Would you consider this to be a superior fate? I know your answer is no. My protege chose you for a reason, and I trust in his judgement completely. If you wish to live up to the trust he has similarly placed in you, you must be ready to do that which is difficult.**

 _Izuku hated that his eyes were nailed to hers, his gaze unwavering not by choice but by force. He wanted to wake up, as he now knew with certainty that this was a dream, and forget that any of this ever occurred. He had become talented enough at ignoring and forgetting already, what was this experience against the ones he'd accumulated in the past month? If he could just run, everything would be right again, he was sure of it._

 **I was led to believe that you weren't the type to run. Where is that stubborn courage from before?** _The women voice was confident once again, though Izuku could feel that it masked desperation._ **You've never turned tail in the past, even when it would've behooved you.** **So why now? This of all challenges is one you need to face head on. The future of far greater machinations depends on it.**

 _Izuku knew he could force himself to wake up if he fought hard enough. It wouldn't be difficult as long as he wanted it. And he knew he did._

 _ **Please.**_ _The women's voice no longer wore a mask, its fear plain as day._ **This is a very dark path you set out to tread. If you ignore my message, nothing awaits you but death and ruin. Events are about to be set in motion that not even your predecessors have the power to prevent. Everything you once loved will perish, and any hope for your redemption along with it. _I know you are better than this._**

 _That was the last straw as far as Izuku was concerned. He felt the nothingness around him fading fast, Nana Shimura's face contorting into panic as he began to awaken._

 _And then, everything was white._

* * *

Izuku jolted up from his sleep, eyes flying open as his hands scrambled to grasp both sides of his makeshift bed frame. He remained sitting, regaining his breath as he raised a hand to check his racing pulse.

Whatever nightmare he'd been having, he had to assume it had been a nasty one, though he couldn't quite recall it. He figured it wouldn't be at all unusual to have a nightmare in light of recent events, but the fact that he didn't remember it was a bit odd. In the past, he'd always been able to remember his dreams, especially ones that were vivid enough to evoke a psychical reaction.

There was also an odd nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he'd forgotten something vital, but he wasn't quite sure what that could've been.

His growing unease didn't last long, however, as he was suddenly hit by the shock of his command. He shook his head to dispel the rising call to violence echoing through his mind, though the motion was, in truth, far more for the purpose of comfort than actual results. He knew he would need to go downstairs and do something tangible about the feeling before too long, or else he would face the consequences.

Izuku changed clothes as quickly as he could, taking the steps two at a time as he descended the stairs from his loft. He passed Toga as he exited the building, but hardly paid her any mind, brushing past her even as she began to speak.

"Can't talk, sorry. Later." He warned, though at the pace he was walking he was most likely already out of the girl's earshot. He silently cursed himself for acting so obviously suspicious, but knew there wasn't anything he could've done differently. At this pace, the alternative of stopping to talk would've been far more disastrous.

As soon as he reached Kurogiri's room, Izuku began to frantically knock on the door.

"Midoriya, did you need to speak with me about something?"

Izuku pivoted to see Kurogiri standing behind him, a quizzical expression expression on his face.

"Yes." Izuku fought to maintain composure, shutting his eyes tight in concentration. "I need to do something about my condition as soon as possible. I'll be waiting out in the courtyard."

Without waiting for a response, Izuku turned and rushed out of the hallway. He knew he'd been cutting it close, waiting so long act, but he hadn't expected for things to get this bad. Luckily, Kurogiri didn't pose any further questions in the meantime, providing Izuku with what he'd asked for without comment.

As soon as the action and its sequential cleanup were done, however, there was nothing to distract from the untimely nature of Izuku's request. Once he was calm enough to speak, Izuku decided to provide his own explanation before one was asked of him.

"Sorry about that." He sighed. "I'm just sort of stressed right now, and I guess that accelerates things. It seems to anyways."

"It isn't an issue." Kurogiri nodded, though as always, it was quite difficult to read his expression. "After all, it's somewhat expected considering what's been asked of you."

"Uh- Right." Izuku was caught off guard by the lack of questioning, but wasn't about to take it for granted either. He could also infer from this interaction that the League still believed what he'd said about last night's exploits was true, especially since he was being treated with so little suspicion. Since it was obvious that the group had some sort of informant in the UA school system, he had to guess that Uraraka had really skipped school as she'd promised. He felt a pang of guilt at that realization, but forced it down in favor of instigating another line of questioning.

"So, is Toga around here somewhere? I think she was trying to talk to me earlier."

"Right here!" Toga voice called out from behind him, and he turned to see her approaching, phone held aloft over her head in a wave. "You totally brushed me off earlier Izu-kun! And to think I was going to tell you something really important."

Izuku sighed internally. It seemed she was back to her old immature self, any trace of the serious and genuine girl he'd seen before leaving once again buried. He knew better than anyone the benefits of wearing a mask, but still he'd hoped to speak with the girl on the same level he had in the future. Maybe, he reasoned, this was simply more of a public act, one that she might drop again in favor of honesty. He was beginning to find her mood swings more normal at the very least.

"Sorry Toga." He apologized. "I was just in a bit of a rush back there. I'm free to talk now though. What's up?"

"I was considering not saying anything after you were just so rude, but since I'm such a forgiving person..." Toga swung down her phone as she stopped in front of Izuku, leveling the screen with his eyes. "Check this headline out. You know that guy who used to be around before you joined up? Scary, tall, wore a mask, fought All Might when our last base was trashed, et cetera? Well apparently they finally decided on what to charge him with, and it isn't pretty."

Izuku took the phone from Toga's hands, scanning the article with a strong feeling of disbelief. Apparently, what Toga had said was true. All for One's sentence had been finalized, and the verdict appeared to be death. Izuku didn't even pause to read all of the charges stacked against him, though they were numerous. He was more focused on the fact that the catalyst for the decision had apparently been Izuku's own recent activity as a villain.

With the rising fear associated with the League, people wanted some form of action to be taken even if it was unlikely to help the current situation, and they obviously already held the perfect target captive. Izuku was a bit encouraged by the information, even if it only meant that he was likely to never encounter All for One again. The first time the two had met, albeit briefly, the experience had been terrifying, and it wasn't something he wanted to repeat.

"Please excuse me you two. I need to attend to something." Kurogiri announced, walking back in the direction he and Izuku had originated from.

"Oh, he's going to go break the news to Shigaraki, huh?" Toga noted, taking her phone back from Izuku. "It seems like something that would be tough on him. Then again, I kinda suck at reading him. He's pretty weird."

"Funny you'd say that." Izuku joked back. He usually would try to keep the banter between him and Toga to a minimum, but now that all of his immediate worries had been settled, he was somewhat in need of a distraction. "You're pretty much the queen of weird."

Toga crossed her arms, a similarly joking grin on her lips. "At least I can admit to it. You're hardly normal yourself."

Izuku shook his head, shooting the girl a look of mock disappointment. "Deflecting are we? I honestly don't why I expected anything else."

"Oh, shut up already." Toga punched his arm lightly. "We have better things to talk about right now than how odd your hero obsession is. I want to know what happened last night, and you promised you'd tell me."

Izuku tried to fight down a wave of panic. Now he remembered. Of course he'd promised to talk to Toga earlier that day. And why wouldn't he have? He had to make sure it seemed as though he had nothing to hide. He had two options. He could either pick a solid lie and stick with it, or switch to a different topic of conversation. The latter appeared infinitely easier.

"Really, that's what you want to talk about?" Izuku asked, adding what he hoped was the right amount of disbelief to his voice. "After reading that article, I kinda think my issues are playing second fiddle to a way bigger problem. Wasn't the guy in the article kind of the League of Villain's founder? Or am I misreading the situation?"

Toga huffed, rolling her eyes. "Well I mean sure, that guy was pretty important back then. Like, I guess he had a crazy strong quirk and had some connections to whatever is going on with your abilities, but he's been replaced by Shigaraki now. I never really saw him that much, and now we don't even talk about him at all. Well, Shigaraki does, but that doesn't really mean much. I'd much rather talk about you."

Toga eyes met with Izuku's pointedly, urging him to begin telling his story. There was still a light suspicion in their depths, and he knew that he would need to start talking soon or risk watching it grow.

"Izuku! Toga!"

Toga turned away, frowning at the source of the call. "What is it Dabi? We're talking about something important right now!"

"Fine, whatever. I was supposed to tell you two to come inside for a meeting, but if you don't show then it isn't my fault. I did what I was supposed to."

Izuku craned his neck to look at Dabi, who had now begun to walk away.

"Wait, what? Why?" Toga called back, moving to chase after him. "Are we going somewhere soon?"

"Probably." Dabi responded with a nonchalant shrug. "Apparently whatever it is has to do with a prison break though. Can't say I'm not curious."

Izuku felt his blood run cold. If this all meant what he thought it did, things were about to take a dark turn.

"Hey Izuku, you coming or not?" Toga asked over her shoulder. "You're just kind of... Standing there."

"Um, I'm not sure I should come." Izuku replied, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "I mean I haven't been allowed on any other group crimes so..."

"For one thing don't call them group crimes. And for another, I was literally sent to get you." Dabi answered. "Whatever you did last night must've been what they asked you to, cause people seem to trust you more already."

Toga nodded, holding out a hand for Izuku. "Yep, you're part of the family now like it or not. Now come on, I don't know how many times we have to tell you, but Shigaraki is not the patient type. I'll walk you there if I have to."

Izuku walked up, waving away Toga's hand. There obviously wasn't any avoiding this, and if there was bad news, he might as well hear it. That was all he seemed to do nowadays, after all.


	23. Chapter 23

"So... Should we be worried yet?"

Despite being delivered in a somewhat dry manner, Kaminari's concern for his classmate was genuine, of that Yaoyorozu was certain. His quick, darting glances towards the classroom's windows, the incessant, restless bouncing movement of his leg, the weak static energy that clung to the air around him in a diluted halo. The boy had never been efficient at concealing his emotions, even less so when he was nervous. And, as she and Bakugou knew better than anyone else, he had fair reason to be anxious.

"No. I mean, we shouldn't be worried even if she doesn't show up at all. She could be sick, or have a family emergency, or... something." Jiro responded. Her eyes, in stark contrast to Kaminari's, had been plastered to the floor since arriving at school that morning, her mind seemingly more focused on the music blaring from her headphones than her actual surroundings. If Yaoyorozu had to guess, she'd wager that the girl was practicing her own unique brand of anxiety, albeit in a far more subtle way most. "But for now, we should expect that she's still going to school today. She's probably just a little off her regular schedule. We are coming back from a vacation after all. Uraraka might've stayed up late or forgot to set her alarm."

The words were reasonable enough, but didn't pack much confidence behind them. Yaoyorozu couldn't blame her friend for being wary of irregularity. With everything that had happened recently, the whole country had been on edge. A hero course student turned villain, and one from the prestigious Yuuei High no less? Combining that with the climbing number of civilian disappearances and introduction of a new direct threat to heroes, it was no small wonder that the status quo was being upheld as rigorously as it was, especially by those who were most affected by the issue.

Even the smallest deviations from the norm were now cause for suspicion. There had been several recent news stories covering false alarms raised by paranoid, but ultimately well intentioned, civilians stoked to a panic by inconsequential abnormalities. A women who had called to report a neighbor who'd failed to mow the lawn one Sunday, a doctor worried for a patient who'd neglected to attend their appointment without a warning call, a mother who's child hadn't walked straight home after school let out, the list went on and on. Each call Yaoyorozu had seen reported on had been made in error, but for every case that raised a false alarm, there was at least one whose concern's rang true. She had just been actively avoiding them.

Even more so now that she knew why they were likely being made in the first place.

"What's all this talk about Uraraka?" Kirishima, who had just entered the classroom, immediately walked over to stand beside the two conversing classmates, shooting Yaoyorozu a concerned sidelong glance in the process. "Did she text you guys or something?"

"Nope." Kaminari shook his head tensely, fingers interlocking and parting as if to some frantic, isolated beat. "She's late today. She shows up at the exact same time every morning to go over homework before class. Every. Single. Morning. Except for today. It isn't like her to be late. It just isn't."

Obviously sensing the blond's mounting insecurity, Jiro placed a steady on his shoulder, finally raising her gaze to meet his. "Chill out dude. I know you're stressed but freaking out won't do you any good right now. Music always calms me down, it might work for you too. Right now I'm listening to some heavy metal, but I'll compromise for pop since I know it's your thing."

Yaoyorozu couldn't help but show a small smile as Jiro offered up one earbud to Kaminari, who received it with a grateful grin and a noticeable reduction in overall movement. Despite the dire circumstances, her friends were still just as considerate and close as they'd always been. It was inspiring to see that empathy could survive even the most turbulent of climates. Seeing the small act of solidarity made her dread the coming day even more.

"Ah, okay, I'll leave you two to your music then, sorry." Kirishima waved apologetically before locking eyes with Yaoyorozu.

 _Don't walk over here._ She silently begged. _Please. I don't want to have to lie to you._

Sure enough, Kirishima began to approach her, a look of mingled curiosity and wariness plain on his face. He made sure to sit in Todoroki's seat, rolling it over close enough that the two could talk without being overheard.

"Hey Yaoyorozu, what happened last night? After I left I mean? Uraraka isn't here and everyone's getting a little antsy."

Of course, he was getting right to the point. Kirishima was nothing if not blunt.

"I don't know. I went to bed early on, and when I woke up everyone was gone. There were no signs of a fight though, and I believe there would've been a great deal of debris had one broken out knowing Midoriya's fighting style. You might have better luck asking Bakugou or Uraraka when they arrive. I'm sure they'll be here in no time."

The lie tasted bitter to Yaoyorozu, worsening in impact when her redheaded classmate's expression fell.

"Right, sorry. I'll be sure to do that when they get here. Thanks."

Yaoyorozu wanted to call out, to tell him that there was more to the story, but knew she couldn't. Although she understood Midoriya's motives, it didn't mean she couldn't resent the promise he'd forced onto her at the same time.

Her top priority was keeping her classmates safe, and right now, a white lie was the best way to do so. That's what she needed to believe, anyway.

Students began pouring into the classroom in a steady stream after that, and with each new arrival Yaoyorozu saw the expectant expressions her classmates wore fall deeper and deeper into despair. The others who had joined Yaoyorozu on their late night expedition all asked the same questions, and they all received the same unsatisfying answers. She desperately wanted someone else to come and take the brunt of her friends inquiry, but time continued to pass with no sign of relent. The girl began to actively search for Bakugou's face behind every swing of the door only to be disappointed each time.

It was only just before the ring of the first bell that Bakugou finally made his appearance, looking about as tired as Yaoyorozu felt.

 _Showing up at the bell to avoid awkward encounters? It's selfish, but I have to applaud him on his foresight if nothing else._

Yaoyorozu couldn't help but sigh even as roll call began, forcing herself to maintain her usual rigid posture despite her lack of sleep.

Aizawa rolled the attendance list as usual, hardly pausing for responses after speaking each individual's name. When the list finally reached Uraraka, he neglected to even glance at her seat, marking her absent without much evident regard for formality. Yaoyorozu knew, however, that he was just as concerned as the rest of them, though he was perhaps the best at hiding it. He was their teacher, after all, and she had hardly seen him break composure at far greater disturbances.

If only he knew what his students had been up to the night before. Then he'd be more than concerned. He'd be furious.

The day's lessons weren't banal exactly, but they were hardly revolutionary, and Yaoyorozu found herself fighting sleep on numerous occasions. The stress of the night before combined with a need for rest had left her far from fighting form, and she found herself beyond grateful that P.E. periods were omitted on Mondays.

By the time class let out for lunch, there was nothing Yaoyorozu wanted more than to curl up in some remote corner of the cafeteria and nap. Unfortunately, however, she had research to do.

"Bakugou." Yaoyorozu beckoned her classmate over as the other students began to exit the classroom, motioning to the now empty seat beside her.

A few others gave the two confused sidelong glances as they left, though none openly questioned the interaction.

 _I'll need to come up for some excuse for this later._ She mused, thinking back to how rarely the two had interacted in the past. _The last thing I want to do is raise suspicion._

"What is it ponytail?" Bakugou scoffed, refusing Yaoyorozu's offer of a place to sit in favor of standing imposingly in front of her desk. "This'd better be important."

"It is. You recall our conversation last night, don't you? About looking into a cure." She tried to keep her words as vague as possible despite the now empty room the two students occupied. Maybe it was a little paranoid, but sometimes it payed to be cautious.

"Yeah of course. I'm not a moron." The boy replied, crossing his arms indignantly.

"Well, I was thinking that the two of us could ask around a bit today at lunch. We know a few students here have quirks which influence the mental states of others, so it would make sense to use them as primary sources in our research. We could start with Shinso Hitoshi, he fought Midoriya during the tournament if you recall. He does seem the most approachable of the bunch."

"Right. Besides, people might get curious if we suddenly start talking to upperclassman." Bakugou added, slowly nodding his head. Yaoyorozu was surprised, but grateful, that he was seriously considering her idea. "Then again though, his quirk doesn't seem to be much like what we're dealing with."

"That's true." She conceded. "But it doesn't mean he couldn't give us further insight into our issue. He's likely studied others with similar quirks to his for combat inspiration and learned about a variety of quirks under the umbrella term of brainwashing as a result. I know both of us have looked into those with quirks similar to our own after all, and Shinso certainly seems like the type to strategize. It's as good a place to start as any."

"I mean sure, why not. But you can't blame me if his info is bullshit."

"Duly noted."

Not long after entering the cafeteria, Yaoyorozu and Bakugou located their target, who was honestly quite difficult to miss considering his vibrant and unruly hairstyle.

"Oh great." Bakugou muttered. "He's sitting next to that fucking copy-cat loser from class B."

Yaoyorozu sighed. "Bakugou, please try not to be rude. To either of them. Remember, you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar."

Bakugou simply grunted in return, pushing past Yaoyorozu. She almost visibly cringed as she watched him slam his boxed lunch down on the table.

"Hey. I'm sitting here." He announced, pointedly ignoring Kendo Itsuka's obvious intention to take the seat for herself.

Before the girl could argue with Bakugou as she so obviously planned to, Yaoyorozu hurried over to save the situation.

"Hello Kendo, it's wonderful seeing you! Would you mind if Bakugou and I sat by you today? We're doing a bit of research and wanted to ask Shinso here a few questions." She grinned, swiveling her head to address the student in question. "If you're open to answering them, of course."

"You can certainly sit with us Yaoyorozu!" Kendo responded, taking a seat one away from Bakugou's. "Your company is always appreciated."

"Please don't ignore the subtext there Bakugou!" Monoma cut in, bearing a mocking grin as Yaoyorozu took the seat between Kendo and Bakugou. "You certainly _can't_ sit with us."

Kendo rolled her eyes, swatting Monoma lightly on the back of his head, an action which the other barely acknowledged.

"Feel free to ignore Monoma. He's forgetting his manners." She apologized, shooting her classmate an exasperated glare. "You can stay as long as you're polite. A friend of Yaoyorozu's is a friend of mine until they give me reason not to be. So Shinso, are you open to answer a few questions?"

Shinso shrugged, picking at his food without looking up. "Sure, why not. But only on the condition that you tell me what exactly you're researching and why."

"That won't be an issue." Yaoyorozu tried to avoid the boy's piercing gaze as his eyes met her own. "We're studying ethical criminal interrogation right now in class and we were wondering how quirks like your own could be used in such practices. The way they work, how their effects can be reversed... It's mainly a curiosity project. We thought you might be able to help us out."

That wasn't all a lie. They were currently studying interrogation in class, and it seemed to fit in just a little too nicely with the current conversation topic.

"Oh?" Shinso raised one eyebrow, studying Yaoyorozu's expression. "And this wouldn't have anything to do with class A's missing student, would it?"

"So what if it does?" Bakugou snapped, a bit too abruptly for Yaoyorozu's liking. "It isn't any of your business."

"You're making it my business by asking me. Besides the fact that I don't like being lied to as a general rule."

"That's fair." Yaoyorozu conceded before Bakugou could reply. "Yes, it might be in part because we feel that his mind has been altered in some way. We'd like to help the heroes in whatever way possible in their endeavors to apprehend him, and we think your insight might be helpful."

Shinso nodded. "Thanks for the honesty. Don't know why it had to come so late though. You don't have any reason to be secretive. Unless there's something I don't know."

Though his words sounded like a threat, Yaoyorozu decided to ignore them.

"We're just a bit on edge. No one in our class really wants to admit there's any issue... There's a fair bit of denial going around I think." She couldn't help but look back at the cluster of tables her friends usually kept to, feeling the absence of the two empty seats.

"Monoma, I swear if you say something insensitive right now..." Kendo warned, eyes narrowing.

"I would never!" Monoma reassured, sounding as genuine as Yaoyorozu had ever heard him. "I know the gravity of the situation Kendo. It isn't something to joke about."

"So then, ask away. I'll do better with specifics than a wide generalization like that." Shinso declared.

"Let's start with the obvious one then, what exactly do you think is affecting Midoriya, if anything?" Kendo asked before turning to Yaoyorozu. "That is a question you planned to ask, correct?"

 _It wasn't._

"Yes, of course." Yaoyorozu assured. "Shinso?"

"Well it could potentially be any number of things. Based on the footage I've seen I wouldn't say it was a memory altering quirk. He seemed like he'd been through some shit, and he wasn't enjoying what he was doing. I think if they'd taken the time to change his memories or personality directly, he'd have been way more enthusiastic and a lot less... Depressed? Lost? I mean the look on his face didn't really look villainous. It was more somber than anything else if I had to say."

"Yeah, no shit Sherlock." Bakugou muttered under his breath. "We already thought of that."

"We had considered those factors already Shinso, but please don't let that deter you. I'm sure you have more valuable insight than we do." Yaoyorozu shot Bakugou another look not far from the one Kendo had given Monoma just seconds before.

"Secondly," Shinso continued as if uninterrupted. "It isn't a total brainwash quirk like mine. He had some autonomy, I mean the fighting style was obviously his, and once again, so were the expressions. It is possible that he was being fed directions while retaining consciousness but... I didn't really get that impression."

"So what are you saying?" Monoma asked. "That he isn't being controlled at all?"

"Monoma!" Kendo snapped.

"What? I mean that's what he's implying!" Monoma gestured at Shinso. "Back me up here!"

"Well, uh, yes... I guess that was where that train of thought was leading." Shinso affirmed. "But I don't think he hasn't been messed with in some way. It was like when he was fighting... He was dreading what he had to do but still knew he had to do it? It almost seemed like he was being forced by something immediate."

"Exactly!" Yaoyorozu exclaimed, glad that he had come to the correct conclusion. "Like maybe there was some latent force that made him have to do it, right? Like he felt some sort of mental compulsion!"

Shinso looked a bit taken aback by her enthusiasm. "Yep. I see you had a similar train of thought. Good to know we're on the same page."

"So, how would you fix him then?" Bakugou questioned, crossing his arms.

Shinso closed his eyes as if in deep thought, rubbing a hand against the base of his chin. "Ugh, well... That's difficult. But these quirks always have a kill switch of some kind, even the ones that seem permanent. I've never personally heard of one that didn't anyways. It really depends on the quirk for what it is though."

"Humor us then." Yaoyorozu suggested, leaning forward, each elbow resting on the table. "Go through the kill switches you know of and we can think of whether or not it would be possible to test them."

"Okay then, to begin with the first that comes to mind, my quirk." Shinso began. "Midoriya is actually the only person to have used it, but it can apparently be deactivated by sheer willpower. If he hasn't broken free of whatever he'd dealing with right now yet, we can assume that that doesn't apply to it though."

"Yeah. If he can break out of your quirk with only his determination, you'd think he could do it with anyone's." Kendo commented reverently. "Your abilities are no joke."

"Thanks." Shinso responded dryly. "Next up we have the split focus method. Get someone else with a brainwashing quirk to steal the subjects attention, and it breaks the effects of the first ability. This one usually works best with total control like mine, but it's always worth a try if you're especially desperate."

Yaoyorozu mentally filed that response.

"The personal realization method comes to mind for memory alteration. It's where the subject is exposed to enough objects or people from their past that they eventually remember the correct sequence of events before being tampered with, usually in one quick burst. They can also realize the inconsistencies with their current situation and the past, or in the case of our hypothetical situation they could realize that whatever they're being forced to do is irrational and overcome it."

"Yeah not gonna work." Bakugou grunted. "Next."

"Last but not least, you could find someone with a stronger but similar quirk to reverse it manually. Someone to tell them not to do whatever they've been forced to do and overpower the first person's quirk. That one's pretty difficult though, especially when you don't know exactly who's quirk was used in the first place. Like I said though, I'm certain that whatever it is is reversible somehow."

"Thank you." Yaoyorozu smiled reassuringly. "That helps to ease our worries quite a-"

The girl's words were cut off by the ringing of the bell, signaling the end of the lunch period.

"It looks like we have to go. It was nice talking to you!" Kendo rose from her seat along with Monoma, the two walking off hurriedly to reach their classroom. Shinso, however, stayed behind, gesturing for Bakugou and Yaoyorozu to follow him over to a less heavily populated part of the cafeteria.

"You two know more about Midoriya than you're letting on." He declared, speaking as soon as the group had some space from other students. "Combine that with how tired and guilty you look, and I'm sure you've got something up your sleeves."

"Whatever you're accusing us of-"

"I'm not accusing you of anything. I'm saying I want in." Shinso interrupted. "Midoriya was always exceedingly friendly with me if nothing else, and I'm assuming that you to don't access to anyone else with a quirk like mine. You've met with him, and you've done it in a way where neither of you were injured or found out. That means that this isn't especially high risk. Besides, I have my own reasons for wanting to help."

"What?" Yaoyorozu stood frozen in shock. "You mean- I... You always seemed so reasonable and academically focused. I never pegged you as the... Risk taking type. I didn't expect it to be this easy to acquire your help."

Shinso shrugged. "Well it is, take it or leave it."

Bakugou shot Yaoyorozu a look before extending an open hand to Shinso. "We take it then."

Shinso raised his eyebrows at Bakugou's hand, turning to walk away without shaking it. "Talk to me after school if you have the time. I'll be hanging around the general studies hall."

Bakugou glared at Shinso's receding figure. "Rude little shit."

"Maybe he wouldn't be so rude now if you hadn't been earlier." Yaoyorozu sighed. "Well, either way it seems we've drawn someone else into this dangerous game of ours. I really do hope he can help."

Despite her words, Yaoyorozu couldn't fight back the feeling of growing dread in her chest as she walked back to class. How many more people could she endanger before one of them got hurt? This wasn't a training exercise. No matter who they were dealing with, former friend or not, the risk was real.

The two split up as they walked back to class, Bakugou being a much faster walker than Yaoyorozu. Being as late as it was, the halls were nearly empty, and Yaoyorozu felt herself slow even further as her feelings of doubt grew.

"What am I doing?" She whispered aloud, stopping to lean against a wall. The second bell rung as she sunk down to the floor, but she didn't acknowledge it, letting her head fall to rest on her knees. She'd never been late to class. She'd never been able to stop herself from caring enough to be late.

But here she was.

"Yaomomo?"

Yaoyorozu lifted her head to see Jiro and Kaminari standing over her, concerned looks adorning both of their faces.

"We were just heading over to the councilors office. We're dealing with some stuff we wanna talk about. Do you wanna come with?"

Jiro offered Yaoyorozu a hand up, which she took gratefully.

"No, but thank you. I was just getting to class."

"You sure?" Kaminari asked. "No one would blame you. We all need a bit of emotional support right now I think. You don't always have to be the strong one for us you know."

Yaoyorozu stood still and silent for a beat, seriously considering the offer.

"I appreciate the thought, but honestly I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me." She smiled from ear to ear, even though she knew it looked fake.

"Okay. Just checking up. Sorry to bother you."

Jiro and Kaminari left for the councilor's office, and Yaoyorozu forced herself to walk in the opposite direction. Her feet felt like concrete, weighing down each step.

 _Just remember why you're doing this. Everyone will be so happy when Midoriya is back safely._ She thought to herself. _What's a little white lie in the face of that?_


	24. Chapter 24

**Though I'm not really sure whether or not this story still has dedicated readers, I'd still like to make an announcement here for anyone who's interested in seeing it progress further than it's current development.**

 **While it's true that this story began on fanfic rather than ao3, I've recently developed a considerable preference for the latter website. Adding to this, a lack of traffic and support have led me to question whether or not updates on this site are being read enough to warrant the effort they require. As a result of these factors, I've decided to begin updating this story exclusively on ao3**

 **If you're still hoping to follow this story, then I encourage you to search for it on ao3 under the same name. While I hope not to lose any readers over this, I understand entirely if ao3 isn't your cup of tea, and I won't be offended if this change encourages you to stop reading. There's already a new chapter up over on ao3 if you're still interested.**

 **I hope this doesn't inconvenience anyone, thanks for reading!**


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